It's Tough To Be Me
by TheUbu
Summary: What happens when an accident causes Beast Boy and Raven to switch powers? They'll help each other out and learn they may have more in common than they once thought. BBxRae!
1. The Switch

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

So here it is! I'm writing by the seat of my pants here so it may be a little odd. Oh well, should be worth a laugh at least.

Disclaimer: I'm going to try to say this differently every time so it doesn't get too stale. I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation. Having said that, lets insert something completely random. That wasn't part of the deal Black Heart! WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL!

* * *

It's Tough To Be Me

Chapter One 

It was summer time and Jump City was just starting to slip out of the grips of a weeklong heat wave that had been plaguing it's citizens. All of the Titans save for Raven were outside swimming and playing around on the beach on their tower's island. It had been far too hot to do much of anything that didn't involve cooling off.

Raven was content to stay in the common room of the Tower though. It was air conditioned and quiet since the other Titans were out. It was the perfect environment to read in.

The double hydraulic doors hissed open and Raven sighed.

'Great. There goes the peace and quiet.'

She expected someone to greet her and try to get her to come outside and 'have fun'. Like running around and splashing in the water was fun for her. Her idea of fun was a hot cup of herbal tea and a good book in solitude. No one greeted her but she knew that someone was in the room.

She looked into the reflection in the window and saw Beast Boy who was wearing a pair of green swimming trunks sneaking up behind the couch with a water balloon. Why did he try? He knew she didn't want to go outside or get wet. The others understood that, why couldn't he?

Placing her book down she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Do it and it'll be the last thing you ever do." She said exasperated.

Despite the fact that Raven hadn't turned around, Beast Boy hid the balloon behind his back and grinned an innocent grin.

"Whatever are you talking about Rae?" Said Beast Boy with a put on air of innocence.

Raven closed her eyes even tighter. What didn't he get? His childish games may amuse him and the others but Raven was completely content to relax alone. Well, ok, that wasn't totally true. It did get lonely sometimes but that was the life she was forced to lead. It didn't bother her anymore, that's just the way things were.

Raven turned to face Beast Boy.

"Could you please not call me that? I'm Raven not 'Rae'. And could you just give it a rest? I'm not in the mood for any of your stupid games."

Beast Boy looked slightly deject but grinned again.

'Raven never wants to have fun with the rest of us. At least she says she never does. I know that's a lie though. She's got a happy side just like everyone else but she's always alone… So isolated…' He thought.

"Stupid game? This is no stupid game! There's a very important reason people play this game!" He stated happily.

"Right. And what reason would that be?" Raven asked incredulously.

"To cool off!" Beast Boy shouted as he threw the balloon at her.

The balloon stopped half a foot away from Raven's face as it was enveloped in a black aura. Raven telekinetically flung the water balloon into Beast Boy with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"I told you that I wasn't in the mood for your childish games! Why won't you leave me alone?" She shouted.

Beast Boy sat up and rubbed his lower back. This was not what was supposed to happen. Raven always reacted like this. It didn't matter what it was that Beast Boy did to try and get her to come out of her shell, it always ended this way. Raven never reciprocated. Every time he tried, every attempt he made, they were all shot down and many of his more extreme attempts often resulted in physical harm from Raven. Not that he was ever permanently injured, but it sure was a shock the first time he was thrown out a window.

'Why do I even bother? Something like this always happens!' He thought affronted.

"That's just it Raven! You're never in the mood for 'childish games'! You always put on that mask but I know you Raven! You have emotions just like the rest of us, you just never express them. I know you wanna have fun so just drop the act!" He angrily shouted.

"You think you know me do you? You don't know the first thing about me! So don't pretend you do. This isn't an act, this is who I am. Get used to it or get lost." Raven replied, her anger starting to build in her.

Several of the objects that were on the coffee table were beginning to shake and rise into the air as a testament to Raven's anger.

"Bullshit Rae! I know you have to ignore your emotions, but that doesn't mean you don't have them!"

"So what?" She spat becoming even more angered. "I do have emotions, but you should know better than anyone that I can't express them! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Beast Boy wanted to yell and scream at her but all of his anger left him. What would life be like if you could never express your emotions? Hell, never even feel them! Raven was forced to lead a secluded life to protect the people around her. To protect the world. It's not like she chose that life, it was just thrust upon her at birth. Doomed from the very first breath she took to live ostracized from everyone.

Beast Boy bowed his head and replied in a quiet and sad voice. "No one wants to be alone Rae…"

Raven was taken aback by Beast Boy's sudden and radical change of attitude. Her anger quickly diminished and all of the objects that were floating behind her abruptly dropped to the floor.

"No." She agreed as she turned her head away. "But this is the way my life is. This is the way is has to be."

Beast Boy stood and walked to the back of the couch. He placed his hand on Raven's shoulder as a comforting gesture. To his surprise, she didn't shrug it off.

"You're never alone Raven, and you never have to be. We'll always be here for you… I'll always be here for you…"

Had he really just done that? Really _touched_ Raven? Sure, he'd offered her his hand to help her rise off the ground or been thrown into her in battle but this was different. This small physical gesture conveyed far more than meager words ever could. Was it a mistake though? Raven was different from other people, almost like she was a delicate vase on a pedestal: something that was beautiful on its own and was never to be touched.

Raven looked up that the green changeling. The emotions she felt from him were so strong: Concern, compassion, and… and love?

'No. He can't love me, can he?' She thought. 'I'm always so distant. I push everyone away, especially him. Is that why he tries so hard?'

'Yea.' Another part of her mind bluntly stated. 'Isn't it obvious? He always wants to be around you. And don't try and tell me you don't like it when he is! You know you do!'

'You're kidding right? You think I like Beast Boy that way?'

'Duh! I'm one of your emotions. I know what you feel better than you do!' The emotion argued. 'He's so kind, sensitive, funny, and damn! He doesn't look half bad without a shirt on!'

Raven blushed a little and raised her hood. If she was lucky, Beast Boy wouldn't have seen it. The remote control for the television glowed a dangerous black and shattered into tiny pieces with a loud 'pop'.

'What the hell are you trying to do to me? Beast Boy's going to think I'm loosing control!'

'Well, you kind of are.' Her emotion stated. 'Just get it over with and kiss him already!'

Beast Boy pulled his hand away.

"Raven? Are you ok?" He asked referring to the remote.

She didn't respond.

"Look, I'm sorry about the water balloon and the fight. I was just being an idiot."

Raven looked into Beast Boy's eyes. Was it true? Did she have feelings for him? Yea right! They were both from opposite ends of the spectrum! She was the sad and quiet dark girl who would rather read by herself than hang around with her friends. He was the happy-go-lucky fool who practically _needed_ to tell jokes to live. Maybe one or two of his jokes were kind of funny but the rest were absolutely horrible.

There was no way she could be attracted to Beast Boy. Why did she find herself drifting closer to him then?

It was true. She was mere inches away from Beast Boy and she could taste his hurried breath. She could almost hear his pounding heartbeat as she got even closer.

:-:-:-:-:

"Raven? Are you ok?"

'Crap! She must be pissed! Why did I have to touch her shoulder? She hates to be touched!' Beast Boy thought to himself.

"Look, I'm sorry about the water balloon and the fight." He said in an attempt to calm Raven should she be angry. "I was just being an idiot."

Raven aimed her gaze directly into Beast Boy's eyes.

'She doesn't look angry, that's a plus I guess. But what's she thinking?'

He noticed she was getting closer to him. What did that mean though? Did she have feelings for him? He sure had feelings for her. Ever since he was pulled into Raven's mind he'd begun to develop feelings for her that were stronger than that of just friends. When Malchior came and used Raven to escape from his prison of the book, Beast Boy was enraged. He'd played with Raven's emotions like they were toys! He knew he had to do something then, he told her that she wasn't alone. He said the same thing now and it seemed to have some affect on her.

She was still getting closer to him and he could feel his heart beating against the inside of his chest. His breath had quickened and he started to move closer to her, almost magnetically drawn by her eyes. He wanted to kiss her so badly and now he was so close. Only half an inch away, he closed his eyes.

The Titans alarm rang loudly throughout the tower and a map of the city appeared on the screen. Raven and Beast Boy snapped out of the trance they were both in and quickly took a step away from one another. A flashing red dot indicated the location of the disturbance. A prison break was happening at the Jump City jail.

'Damn it! I was so freaking close! Why didn't the criminals just wait five damn minutes?' Beast Boy mentally cried.

'What the hell was that? You almost made me kiss him!'

'I didn't make you do anything! That was all you. You wanted to kiss him, quit denying it.' One of her emotions replied.

'Once I get back from this disturbance, I'm going to come and straiten a few things out in Nevermore.'

:-:-:-:-:

After the other Titans quickly got into their uniforms, they were off to the scene of the crime.

"Who's escaping?" Robin asked into his communicator.

"Mumbo." The warden replied. "We've tried everything! It's that damn hat of his. We don't know how he got it back but anything we try is useless because he just pulls some stupid trick to counteract us!"

"Try to hold him up, we're almost there."

"Will do." Said the warden as he shut the communicator off on his end.

"Ok team, Mumbo is escaping. We need a game plan fast." Said Robin.

'Oh joy.' Raven dryly thought. 'Why did it have to be him? I hate him!'

"He gets his power from his hat right? We've got to get it away from him." Stated Cyborg.

"Yea but we have to be careful not to get sucked into his stupid hat world. I do _not_ want to be a lamp again." Said Beast Boy.

"Agreed, the Mumbo can be a very dangerous opponent indeed." Chimed Starfire.

:-:-:-:-:

As the Titans reached the prison, they immediately saw where the trouble was. It would be hard for anyone to miss really. There were many different colors of smoke drifting through a large hole in the prison wall and the frantic shouting of the guards and blaster fire could be heard. There was a periodical cry of 'Mumbo Jumbo!' and more strangely colored smoke would flow out of the building.

"Remember, we have to hit him fast and hard. Do everything you can to get that hat away from him. Destroy it if you can." Stated the Titan's masked leader.

The Titans stormed through the gaping hole in the wall of the prison to be met with a small battle scene. Two-dozen armed guards were doing their best to take Mumbo down but they were doing little good. Several of them were bound up to the neck with long strands of multicolored cloth that were undoubtedly the results of Mumbo's magic. The free guards quickly evacuated their incapacitated companions to a safe distance for the Titans to do what they did best, unhindered.

"Give up now Mumbo and we won't have to use force!" Shouted Robin.

"Ah! So good of you to come Titans." He said with an amused tone in his voice. "You're just in time for the show!"

Mumbo said his two magic words and a fountain of playing cards shot out of both his sleeves and knocked Robin to the ground. Robin gave a muffled cry of "Titans, GO!" through continual flood of cards.

Starfire shot off like a bullet towards the opponent and quickly tore the hat from his head before he had a chance to react. However, it simply popped onto his head again seemingly out of nowhere. Starfire looked into her hands and found she was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Swing and a miss! Nice try though little lady." Taunted Mumbo.

Raven rose up into the air before the would be escaping prisoner.

"I grow tired of your trickery Mumbo." She spat. "This ends now! Azerath Metrion ZIN-"

Her last word was cut off by a disembodied white glove covering her mouth.

"Now now now. None of that Raven. I know you want to steal the show but this is my act!" Mumbo said.

He called out his magic words once again and five long strands of the multicolored cloth shot out from his sleeve and tied all of the Titans in place.

"I'm not about to make the same mistake as I did last time Titans. Raven has some very powerful magics at her disposal, I'm going to make them at my disposal."

:-:-:-:-:

Five long pieces of differently colored and tied cloth came flying out of Mumbo's sleeves like snakes, quickly wrapping themselves around the Titan's where they stood. Beast Boy struggled against his restraints but found that the cloth held fast against his attempts. It was tight, uncomfortably tight.

Mumbo removed the hat from the top of his balding green head and directed it's opening at Raven.

'Crap! He's going to suck Raven into that messed up hat world of his again.' Beast Boy desperately thought. 'Think Beast Boy think!'

He wracked his brain trying to find a solution to their current plight.

'Got it!' He mentally exclaimed in triumph.

He began to transform into something larger. A hippopotamus, that would suffice. His bindings grew tighter and tighter showing no sign of yielding to his growing mass. It was becoming very uncomfortable and Beast Boy could feel some of the ribbons begin to cut into his skin.

A loud snap resounded through the shambled section of the prison. The cloth that had bound Beast Boy finally gave way and seemed to leap off of him as the tension was released.

Mumbo paid no mind to this as he focused on Raven and called out his magic words once again.

"Mumbo Jumbo!"

:-:-:-:-:

Raven jerked against her colorful restraints but knew little good would come of it. Seeing as her mouth was covered, she was unable to summon her powers to simply cut herself out of her predicament.

Mumbo pointed the open end of his hat at Raven.

'Damn it! I'm not going to let that fool get the best of me again.' She thought as the struggled against the colored cloth again.

A snapping of cord was heard but Mumbo Jumbo didn't seem to notice or care.

"Mumbo Jumbo!" The trickster shouted.

Raven felt funny. As though something was beginning to swirl and eddy inside her. She felt the odd sensation rise up in her chest and a dark inky black aura seemed to bleed out of her and ball up in a sphere in front of her. The odd sensation was steadily growing into one of intense pain that was only worsening with the passing of time.

Raven let out a muffled cry of anguish.

"Raven!" Shouted Beast Boy as he tackled her out of the air in an attempt to get her away from the source of her pain.

"Hey! Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to interrupt people?" Mumbo asked Beast Boy. "Mumbo Jumbo!"

A giant white glove appeared and scooped up both of the falling Titans.

"You know? I always wanted to be able to turn into any kind of animal I wanted at will. You've sold me little man, I'll take your powers too! Mumbo Jumbo!" He shouted with an annoying air of excitement in his voice.

In a similar fashion to that of Raven, a green aura seemed to seep out of Beast Boy and pool in a dark green sphere just above his chest. The changeling screamed out in pain as his very essence was bled from him. Both of the spheres grew larger and larger until the colored auras stopped flowing from Raven and Beast Boy.

"There we are. And now they're all mine!"

:-:-:-:-:

Cyborg rubbed both of his arms back and forth. He could feel the cloth starting to fray against the cold metal of his sonic cannon.

'So close… Just a little more…' He thought.

Cyborg heard his friend's cry of pain and quickened his pace even more.

"There we are. And now they're all mine!"

Both of the colored orbs drifted towards Mumbo's hat and spiraled around in front of it as though they were two colored balls spinning around a drain.

The section of fabric finally broke and fell silently to the ground. Cyborg wasted no time in raising his cannon arm and firing. A blue wave of sonic energy refined into a directed beam tore through the silent air and found its intended mark. Mumbo's hat exploded in his hands and was reduced to nothing but shreds of black fabric.

"BOOYA!" Cyborg loudly exclaimed.

Everything that happened happened fast and instantaneously. The colored cloth that held everyone vanished along with the giant white glove that held Beast Boy and Raven. Unsupported they fell. Both of the orbs that had be drawn to the hat a moment ago shot back to the falling pair like bolts of colored lightning and before they hit they ground, the orbs struck them. The orbs struck the falling Titans with a force that can scarcely be imagined and a blinding flash of black and green filled the room.

Once the lights dissipated, Cyborg quickly scanned the room with his human eye. Mumbo, or who he was without the hat, was lying on the floor in an orange prison uniform. It looked as though the fall from the air had knocked him out. The flash of light must have been some kind of blast as well because both Beast Boy and Raven had been cast to opposite sides of the room. Beast Boy's green mass was closest to him so he moved to check him for injuries first.

"Star, can you check on Raven? I've got Beast Boy over here." He said looking at the Tamaranian over his shoulder as he approached his green buddy.

Starfire obliged and quickly flew to her pale friend but let out a loud gasp when she arrived.

"B-B… Beast Boy?" Starfire gasped in surprise.

"What the- Raven?" The metallic Titan breathed.

* * *

There we go! How 'bout them beans? I know Mumbo is one of the lamest villains that ever was but I couldn't really think of another situation the switch could work in. I have no idea how long this is going to be as I'm just writing as thoughts come to me but I know I can at least get six chapters in here. 

Tell me what you think of it so far, did the method of their switching powers seem believable? I love reviews so please post one!

If any of you have read my previous story "Not Who You Think I Am" I'll be adding a new section to my authors notes! This section will be dedicated to the cans of Coca Cola who valiantly sacrificed themselves for the creation of the respective chapter. Four and a half cans of Coke were consumed by me during the writing of this first chapter (I'm still working on number five). Please mourn for them, their sacrifices will not be in vain.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	2. New Look

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation. And now for something completely random: "In all honesty, I had no idea she was your sister."

"What the hell are you talking about? She walked up to you and said 'Hi, I'm Mike's sister!'"

"So you're saying it's a little weird that I asked her out?" (A very similar situation to this happened in real life between two of my friend. None of the names have been changed to protect anyone, sorry Mike.)

* * *

Chapter Two

'Freaking owww…' Was the first thing Beast Boy thought as he awoke.

He opened his eyes and saw the sterile white of the medical bay ceiling. He was resting in a medical bed covered in sheets of the same sterile color. Beast Boy hated all the white. It was too plain, almost as if the lack of color sucked all happy emotion out of the room. Then again, they were only ever in there when they had been injured in such a way that Raven could not heal it; and it had to be fairly sever if it was something that Raven could not heal.

Something felt different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but it felt as though all of his senses were dulled. Almost like he had a stuffed up nose and hands covering his ears. He also had a splitting headache. He didn't think much of it though; he'd had minor concussions before that bore similar symptoms.

He rolled on his side to find Cyborg with his back facing him. He seemed to be recording the readings from a monitor next to another medical bed.

"Owww… Dude, did anyone get the license number of that truck?" Beast Boy asked.

"Good to see you're still you're cheery self." Replied Cyborg.

Beast Boy was starting to get up but Cyborg ordered him to lie back down.

"Before you start moving around, we need to talk." He said with an air of seriousness in his voice.

Beast Boy's mind began to race. 'Crap! Something's happened! Did Mumbo suck someone into his hat? Is somebody hurt? What happened to Raven?'

"Where's Raven?"

"She in here."

"What? Is she ok? Did she get hurt?" Beast Boy franticly asked trying to see past Cyborg's large frame to see the bed behind him.

"Chill B, she's fine. More or less anyway…" Chuckled Cyborg.

'More or less? What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

Cyborg placed his hand on Beast Boys shoulder and gently pushed him back down to the bed. Beast Boy gave up his futile attempt to see if Raven was in the bed that was obstructed from view by his metallic friend and looked at his face.

Cyborg sighed and continued. "Just calm down a little, everyone's fine. Something happened when Mumbo attacked you guys." He jerked his head over his shoulder to indicate Raven. "I think he sucked both of your powers out of you with that hat of his but something didn't go as he planned."

"And that would be?" Best Boy questioned.

"Well, me blowing his damn hat into confetti for one." He smirked but his expression returned to that of his serious one again. "You and Rae were really close together when it happened and your powers went flying back at you after the hat was destroyed. I don't know how it happened but it must have something to do with the fact that you were both so close to one another."

'Why won't he just say what happened? Quit dancing around it!'

"Dude! Just spit it out! What happened?"

"Well…" Cyborg's words failed him so he just handed Beast Boy a mirror.

Beast Boy knew something wasn't right the moment he pulled his hand out from under the sheet to take the mirror. It was deathly pale and gray instead it's usual green. Gulping he raised the mirror and peered into it. Staring back at him was a gray skinned face with short, dark purple hair and eyebrows to match. His face looked very similar to the way it usually did but it was as if he was a page in a coloring book that had been incorrectly colored. His ears were not pointed and it seemed that his canines had shrunk because he no longer had his small fang protruding from his mouth. Centered on his forehead was a small diamond shaped gem that was a deep shade of crimson. The only thing that he found vaguely recognizable as his was his dark emerald eyes that were now agape in shock.

The now pale Titan tried to speak but no air passed his lips. All he found he could do was stare at the stranger staring back at him. A slim tendril of black energy stretched out form the red gem that was embedded in the chakra of his forehead and came in contact with one of the fluorescent lights in the ceiling, causing it to fracture into tiny shards immediately.

Beast Boy let out a short yelp in surprise and the medical bay came alive with dark energy. Drawers and cupboards flung themselves open releasing the medical supplies contained within into the air. The sheets on the empty bed on the other side of his leapt out of place and went sailing toward the windows while the pillow exploded raining feathers down throughout the room.

"BB, you have to calm down or you're going to hurt someone!" Shouted Cyborg.

"I-I can't!" Beast Boy cried, having just regained his voice.

The situation in the medical bay was only getting worse as Beast Boy was becoming more rattled by what his uncontrolled powers were causing. Cyborg grabbed a plastic case that had been previously flying through the air and quickly opened it. He drew a hypodermic syringe from within and inserted it into one of the bottles of sedatives the case contained and grabbed Beast Boy's arm.

"Sorry man but I gotta." Said Cyborg before he plunged the needle into the pail flesh and injected its contents.

Beast Boy's frantic eyes stopped darting around the room and he looked at the syringe being drawn from his arm. His quickened breathing slowed and his eyelids became heavy. Everything that had been spinning around the room dropped to the floor with a clatter. The only thing that remained in the air was the blizzard of feathers that were slowly drifting downward.

"This could be a problem…" Muttered Cyborg as he surveyed the wreckage that was once the medical bay.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven rolled over on her side but clenched her teeth and inhaled sharply. She kept her eyes shut but moved her hand carefully down her side under the sheets. There was a long piece of gauze tapped from the middle of her ribcage right down to her hip. Why hadn't her powers kicked in while she was unconscious? Unless… Right, Mumbo. He'd really stolen her powers then. But she was being cared for now; that either meant that they'd beaten Mumbo and needed to find a way to return her powers, or Mumbo forced the Titans to retreat and he was at large.

She didn't really want to find out either way right now because she had a skull splitting headache and there seemed to be unnaturally loud noises coming from everywhere. The smells of her surroundings were also quite strong: The sterile scent of antiseptic, the strong scent of body odor, and something almost unbearably fruity.

She opened her eyes a little bit and spotted Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire sweeping feathers and broken glass into garbage bags. The sweeping sound the broom bristles made, the scraping of feet against the floor, and the tinkling of the glass shards were far too loud and only contributed to her headache.

"Do you guys think you could try and keep it down?" Raven mumbled in a croaky monotone.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire squealed as she dropped her broom.

The broom clacked on the floor and created a noise similar to that of a gunshot. Raven clamped her eyes shut and thrust her hands over her ears.

"Please keep your voices down!" She urgently whispered. "I have a huge headache and loud noises are not helping."

Starfire clasped a hand over her mouth and slowly drifted in mid air to Raven's bedside. Robin and Cyborg stood silently and watched. Withdrawing her hand, the auburn haired Titan spoke in a hushed voice that was faintly above the shadow of a whisper.

"Friend Raven, something has occurred during our battle with the Mumbo…"

Raven was suddenly struck with a wave of that fruity scent. Was that Starfire's lip-gloss?

"And he's taken my powers?" She replied in a voice that was equally hushed.

"No. We were victorious in combat with the Mumbo but we were unable to prevent him from removing your powers from your body."

'He removed my powers but he doesn't have them?'

"So where are my powers now?" Raven asked.

Starfire started but could not even form the first word. Robin spoke quietly from the foot of her bed where he and Cyborg stood.

"Something happened Raven. We're not sure how to reverse it but we'll do everything we can."

Raven sat up to face him and opened her eyes. The expressions they wore were ones of concern and uncertainty. She turned to Starfire who was resting on the edge of her bed and a lock of dark green hair fell across her face.

'Stupid hair.' She thought as she brushed it away. 'Wait… Green? GREEN?'

She looked down at her hands and found that the skin that covered her arms was a similar shade of deep green.

"Wh-What?" She spluttered. "M-Mirror…"

Starfire cautiously picked up a mirror that lay on the bedside table and handed it to her. The image she saw shocked her. What she saw was a dark green skinned female with even darker green hair. She reached up and felt the center of her forehead with her now green hand. The spot where she would normally have found her chakra gem was bare. She traced her hands through her hair and felt the ears that the green tousles concealed. They were pointed and almost elflike.

Raven's mouth fell open at what she was seeing and she found yet another new development. The canines on both her upper and lower jaw and grown slightly, giving them a fanglike quality. The only thing that did not seem completely alien on her face was her eyes that were both still a deep violet.

She lowered the mirror and looked at all of her friends speechlessly. There was just too much happening, too much happening that couldn't possibly be happening. The hand mirror slipped out of her loose fingers and her body fell back to the bed.

"Cyborg, what happened?" Robin urgently asked.

Cyborg read the monitor next to bed. "She fainted."

:-:-:-:-:

"So what are we supposed to do?" Asked Robin. "We can't just keep Beast Boy sedated."

"I know man but you didn't see him. He was tweaking out. I'm surprised the mess in the med bay is as minor as it is." Said Cyborg.

"At least Raven's condition isn't destroying anything."

"Should we not just keep Friend Beast Boy calm as he awakens? When I dwelled in Raven's body, I learned that to control her powers, your emotions must be controlled. We must simply keep Beast Boy in a relaxed state and the powers should not pose us a problem." Said Starfire.

"Well, yea." Robin agreed. "But how are we supposed to keep him calm right now? I think the situation gives him plenty of right to freak out."

Cyborg sighed and sat down on the disheveled bed next to Beast Boy's. This was going to be tough.

"How are we supposed to keep Beast Boy calm? He's not exactly known for being reserved." He stated.

"We'll think of something. How long until those sedatives wear off?"

"We've still got a couple of hours at least."

"Let us hope Friend Raven will wake before Beast Boy. It may be possible for her to train him in controlling his newfound powers." Suggested Starfire.

Just as Starfire finished her sentence, the person in question stirred with a groan.

"Please tell me it was just a bad dream." She muttered in a quiet voice.

"If what you were referring to is your change in appearance Friend Raven, it saddens me to tell you that it was not."

"Ugh… Fine, whatever, I don't care. Tea. Get me out of here, I need a cup of tea."

Raven tried to rise but was reminded of her injury as a sharp pain shot up he side. She fell back to her bed and sighed. Without her healing powers, this was going to be a long recovery. Starfire quickly moved to her bedside.

"Allow us to assist you! You have been injured."

"Yea Raven." Cyborg stated. "You got a pretty bad cut from a jagged piece of brick when you were knocked down."

Both Cyborg and Starfire helped Raven to her feet being careful of her injury. Before they turned to the medical bay's door however, Raven caught sight of Beast Boy. She stopped and stared at him. Hey lay unmoving and half covered in sheets in the medical bed next to hers. The sight was odd to her. As if she'd stepped into a dream world where everything was reversed.

"Is he ok?"

"Physically, yea, nothing wrong with him. But your powers started up when he saw himself and it just got worse from there on in." Said Cyborg.

"Oh." She simply replied.

She turned to the door again and her friends assisted her.

:-:-:-:-:

She tipped the mug back for the final time and drained the last of its contents. The tea helped her think more clearly, even though it tasted stronger than it should. This would take some getting used to. Beast Boy's animal senses were greatly heightened in comparison to hers and everything she heard, smelled, and tasted felt like it was coming in ten times stronger.

Was this what Beast Boy experienced every day? All the sounds were almost deafening! The high-pitched buzz of the florescent lights, the shuffling of feet on the floor, and the scraping of utensils on plates. Those were only the sounds she could identify! There were dozens more that she couldn't identify for her life. The smells were equally as powerful; the burning of the stovetop element, the steeping tealeaves, and the ever present scents that followed each of her friends.

Raven's train of thought was disrupted by a question from the Titan's leader.

"Do you have any idea how to get Beast Boy to _quickly_ get control of your powers? We can't keep sedating him every time he wakes up."

Raven sighed. "I'm not sure this can be done _quickly_. It took me the better part of my childhood to get them under control. Even now I have occasional slipups."

"That's not what I was hoping to hear." Stated Robin more to himself than the others.

"The best thing we can do now is just keep him calm. Only one person should be around him at a time until he gets used to what's happened."

"Good idea, but right now I don't think we can do anything to help him. Only you really know how your powers work. Do you think you can try to keep him calm by yourself?" The masked Titan asked.

"Sure. You're thinking that I should try and coach him before he gets into more… Emotional atmospheres?"

"Exactly."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy woke up and opened his eyes. It was dark, really dark, but he could tell that he was still in the medical bay. He was relieved to find his headache was almost completely gone and he rubbed his forehead. His hand brushed over the diamond shaped gem.

"You have got to be kidding me." He muttered under his breath.

"No. It looks like this is the way things are for now."

"Rae?"

Beast Boy looked around the room but found it was too dark to see anything but shadows. Something in the next bed shifted and sat up. It then stood and walked over to his bedside.

'Stupid darkness.' Beast Boy thought. 'I can't see a thing.'

"About what's happened, you just have to stay calm. It's happened to me too." Raven said gently.

"What happened to you? Are you alright?" Beast Boy asked starting to get worked up.

Raven smiled a little in the darkness.

Beast Boy felt as though a wave of warmth washed over him. He was confused and just looked at Raven through the darkness. She placed a hand on his to calm him down.

"I'm fine. But you have to stay calm, those powers start working overtime when you get worked up."

"What the hell was that?" Beast Boy asked.

"What the hell was what?" She asked in a steady and calm voice.

"I-It felt like some kind of heat blew past me." He stuttered, rubbing his arm.

:-:-:-:-:

"What happened to you? Are you alright?"

A small smile graced Raven's green lips and she couldn't help but feel a small wave of happiness flow through her.

'He's worried about me.'

"I'm fine. But you have to stay calm, those powers start working overtime when you get worked up." She gently told him.

"What he hell was that?" He asked looking in her direction.

She could see almost perfectly in the dark room but she could tell that he could barely see her. He was looking in the direction of her face but his eyes weren't focused on her.

"What the hell was what?"

"I-It felt like some kind of heat blew past me."

'Some kind of heat? Oh.'

"That's probably emotion. I used to be empathic."

"Oh." Said Beast Boy still rubbing his arm because of the strange sensation. "Wait, used to be?"

'Uh oh, this may work him up.'

"Yes." She said. "But before I show you, you have to stay relaxed. I'm fine, you're fine, and no one was hurt, ok?"

Beast Boy gulped but nodded.

Raven stood and walked over to the light switch.

'Here goes nothing.' She thought as she flicked the switch.

* * *

I'm sorry! Please stop beating me! It just seemed like such a good cliffhanger of a place to leave it. What did you guys think of that one? I had a tough time describing how Raven perceived things through Beast Boy's senses but I think I turned out pretty nicely.

The only sacrifice for this chapter was a 2-litre bottle of Coca Cola but he stepped up to the call without hesitation. Mourn for him for he was the bravest of them all. I salute you Mr. 2-litre!

Holy flipping bananas! 12 reviews for the first chapter? You guys are awesome!

They-Call-Me-Orange: I hope it does. Thanks for your last review on Not Who You Think I Am too. I think the whole fans thing went to my head a little though because I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day after I read it. Thanks for reviewing.

ScarletAngel3000: Well thank you very much.

FantasyObsessed: Thank you. I'll do my best to update quickly and it shouldn't be a problem because this story is just flowing through my head. I haven't picked up the new Harry Potter yet but I think I'll do that sometime next week. Thanks.

akiismarina: I did it all for the cookie! I hope you liked this chapter also.

OveractiveMind: I'm glad you think so. I can't say Mumbo seems like the ultimate super villain but his attitude just makes me laugh. I hope you liked the way I changed their appearances. Thanks for reviewing.

Phantom Moon: Thank you very much.

Omen Of Death: I'm glad you think so. I can see a lot of different ways this story can go right now but I'm sticking to a constant theme. The way things are going right now, I think updates will be al least every three days (Give or take). Thanks for reviewing.

AnimationWickedRaven: All hail to the beans! Thanks for your kind review.

pureangel86: Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? Thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: And here be mores! Thanks for reviewing.

darktrique: I'm glad you think so. Thanks a lot.

warprince2000: Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	3. Deep Breath

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'm sorry about that last chapter because I posted it before it was properly edited. I fixed it a put it up again later that day though. Sorry if it was a little confusing.

Disclaimer: I'm going to flip a coin, heads and the Teen Titans are mine, and tails they aren't. Flip Damn! I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Three

Raven inhaled deeply and flicked the light switch on.

'What's he going to say?'

She waited for him to say something but there was silence. She didn't look up at him but still waited for his response. Nothing.

"So what do you think?" She asked finally raising her gaze to meet him.

Beast Boy sat in the bed with his mouth slightly hanging open and was just staring at her. Raven shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I know, I look…" Raven couldn't finish her sentence.

"Stunning." Finished Beast Boy.

Raven blushed a little and reached back for her hood. She didn't find it though and realized she wasn't wearing her cloak. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and looked away.

'I don't feel stunning…'

"Thanks."

"Yea, your hair looks wicked too." He added.

Raven blushed even deeper and desperately wished she had her cloak.

"Thanks, but we need to start talking about how you're going to control those powers." She said eager to change the subject. "They're controlled by emotions. When you're in a state of calm, everything is under your control. It also works the other way, when you're emotional, the powers may get out of your control and things will get destroyed."

"Yea." Said Beast Boy. "I already got a little taste of that."

:-:-:-:-:

The light snapped on and Beast Boy was forced to close his eyes. He blinked repeatedly until he became accustomed to the brightness of the room. Standing next to the door was Raven. Beast Boy wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it. She looked very similar to the way she normally did except for one major difference: She was green. She was looking down to the floor and her dark green hair hung forward revealing her pointed ears.

"So what do you think?" She asked bringing her eyes up to his.

What did he think? He didn't know what he thought, his mind had gone completely blank. In his opinion, Raven had always been beautiful. Even if she hid herself under her hood or in her room all the time, she just carried a confident air about her that Beast Boy found compelling.

"I know, I look…" Raven trailed off.

"Stunning."

Beast Boy told her the truth. No matter what form Raven took, she'd always be beautiful to him.

Raven reached up for her shoulders and tried to grab something that wasn't there. Failing that, she rubbed the back of her neck and averted her gazed. Beast Boy was suddenly struck with a sort of cold and lonely feeling.

'What was that? More emotions?' Beast Boy thought to himself, slightly shivering.

"Thanks."

"Yea, your hair looks wicked too."

Raven shifted awkwardly again.

"Thanks, but we need to start talking about how you're going to control those powers. They're controlled by emotions. When you're in a state of calm, everything is under your control. It also works the other way, when you're emotional, the powers may get out of your control and things will get destroyed." She said starting to approach his bed.

Beast Boy shivered as he was reminded of what the uncontrolled powers caused.

"Yea. I already got a little taste of that."

"And that's exactly why you have to learn how to center yourself quickly. If you feel yourself starting to get worked up or emotional in any way, take a deep breath and try to remember the way you feel when you're completely at peace." Raven explained. "You haven't meditated before so just try closing your eyes and counting to ten."

Beast Boy nodded and prompted her to continue.

"We're not sure how long this is going to last but both of us are going to be out of action until we can get this figured out."

'Figured out?'

"What do you mean by figured out? Like returning our powers to one another or figuring out how to use one another's powers?" He asked.

"Well… That's not important right now. What's important is us getting your emotions under control." She told him.

Beast Boy froze where he sat. The prospect of turning a room into a hurricane every time he got startled was daunting. She didn't even know how long this would last. For all they knew, this could be permanent!

The drawers started to rattle as they became encompassed in dark energy.

"Beast Boy." Raven said calmly but with a serious tone in voice. "You have to calm down. Remember, close your eyes and count to ten."

Now the entire cabinets were covered in the black aura and were beginning to shake even worse. Beast Boys eyes were darting around the room at everything that was happening but quickly clamped his eyes shut and silently counted to ten.

'One… Two… Three… Nothings happening! Four… Five… Why isn't it working? Six… Seven… Eight…'

Beast Boy's attempts to center himself we not working. In fact, they were only helping to aggravate the situation. Objects from inside the drawers were beginning to rise out of them while the cabinets were shaking with almost enough force to wrench them from the walls. It all suddenly stopped though as he felt a warm sensation on his hand.

:-:-:-:-:

Drawers began to shake as dark energy spread throughout the room.

'Uh oh.'

"Beast Boy. You have to calm down. Remember, close your eyes and count to ten." Raven tried to say as calmly as possible but heard the worry in her own voice.

More and larger objects in the room were becoming dark and were shaking due to the uncontrolled powers. Beast Boy wasn't calming down, he was starting to look frantic because of the black energy all around them but he quickly sucked in a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly.

'That's it Beast Boy, count to ten and relax.'

Something was wrong. Beast Boy hadn't gained control yet. Things were getting worse and very soon, there would be explosions. If she didn't calm him down now, she would be forced to sedate him. Raven did the only thing she could think prior to using he last resort, she grabbed the back of his hand and slowly stroked hers across it. It seemed to work because everything that had been shaking and starting to float either dropped to the ground or fell silent. The simple human contact had been enough to calm him.

"Rae… I'm sorry but the counting, it wasn't working…"

"It's ok." Raven said as she continued to stroke his hand. "It's a scary thing to deal with. Why don't we go up to the roof and get some fresh air?"

"Y-Yea, I think I've seen enough of this place for a year."

:-:-:-:-:

It was dark out on the roof and the stars were shining brilliantly in the night sky. There was a warm breeze blowing by and Beast Boy could hear the faint sound of crickets far below. It was late, or early, it depended on how you thought about it, but Beast Boy's best guess was somewhere around 1:00AM.

He took in a deep breath and absorbed his surroundings. It was a great relief to get out of that horrible medical bay. He was in his element right now, or what should have been his element. He used to take comfort in the dark of night because he could see, hear, smell, and feel everything that was going on around him. Despite the fact that he had been deprived of his keen senses, he still felt a sort of familiar comfort.

"So why does stuff blow up right away when you loose control but shakes for a while before anything explodes when I do?" Asked Beast Boy.

Raven sighed. "When I start to get agitated, I find my center and contain my powers. When I do loose control, it's after enough energy has built up to cause things to explode. It takes a little while for that to happen so as you get more stressed, more energy is released and things start to explode."

Beast Boy nodded.

'I guess that makes sense.'

"How do you deal with these strong senses? All of the noises and smells are almost too much, I've had a headache all day."

'What does she mean strong senses? Well, if these are what she normally deals with every day, I guess mine are kind of strong.' He thought.

"That's the way I've always remembered perceiving things. I've never really thought about them as strong." He said. "The way I feel things with these senses feels kind of dulled, like everything I hear is through a thick wall or my nose is all stuffed up but I can still breath. Maybe it'll just take some getting used to."

"I guess so. Hey, do you normally see really well in the dark? I can't believe how well I can see now." She replied as she looked around her surroundings once again.

Beast Boy sat on the edge of the tower and looked out over the ocean, the moon was only half full but it's light shone over the rippling water in the distance.

"Yea." He quietly said. "I used to be able to see really well in the dark…"

:-:-:-:-:

"Yea. I used to be able to see really well in the dark…" Said Beast Boy in a quiet and sad voice.

Raven sat down beside him and looked at his face. She could see every detail with the moonlight and her sharpened senses. His eyes were looking downward and he had a saddened expression. There was a small glint of moonlight reflecting off of the gem in his forehead. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Raven felt like she could almost hear him counting.

'That's it Beast Boy, just think peacefully.'

After Beast Boy opened his eyes again, Raven placed her hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong? We're going to get this fixed so don't worry."

"That's just it… We don't know if we can fix this. We may be stuck like this forever…" He said as he turned to face her. "Your strong Raven, you can handle your emotions but this is really hard for me. When I transform into different animals, I just get this feeling, this feeling like I'm free. You know what it feels like when you're flying? I want that feeling back but I'm afraid that I'll never have it again."

Raven did know what he meant. It felt like a piece of her was missing, like her right hand was gone. She used to be able to flick in a light switch from the other side of the room without even looking at it, but now everything was different. She also knew what he meant about flying. She enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness, the feeling that nothing was holding her. Beast Boy knew what it felt like too, he always took to the air, even if he could ride in the T-Car.

Raven didn't know what to say. What could she say? Everything he said was true; they had no idea if they would ever get their proper powers back.

"I'm not that strong." She replied.

Beast Boy said nothing.

"We will get this figured out. Just remember what I told you: take a deep breath, count to ten, and think peacefully if you feel yourself getting emotional in any way. You should probably go to your room tonight, it'll be more comfortable than the medical bay. Don't go down to breakfast in the morning, arguing with Cyborg would not be a good idea. I'll bring something for you to eat when I get up and we'll work more on how to control your emotions." Said Raven as she rose.

She winced slightly but turned and continued to the door.

"Good night Beast Boy."

"Good night…" He replied without turning.

:-:-:-:-:

"Good night Beast Boy."

'Am I really Beast Boy anymore? No. My powers made me Beast Boy. Now I'm just Garfield Logan…"

"Good night…"

He heard the door shut behind him shortly after and he sighed. Could he ever get used to these powers? Would he still be a Titan if he couldn't? He didn't want to think about it any more. It was only bound to work him up.

'Maybe I can do this. It may take a while, but I still have a power and I need to use it to help people.'

With that thought in mind, Beast Boy rose from the edge of the tower where he was sitting and walked for the door.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven awoke the next morning as a bright light shone down on her face. She rolled over to avoid it and return to her slumber but a sharp pain brought her to reality.

'Damn cut.' She thought.

She turned to see what had woken her and saw the beam of sunlight that snuck past the edge of her curtains. She felt extremely refreshed and stretched her arms into the air. It was surprising to think that five and a half hours of sleep could do her such good. She knew she'd only slept five and a half hours because she woke up at 6:30AM every morning; it was just her internal alarm clock.

'Wait a second… Sunlight? What time is it?' She thought as she looked to her clock. '11:37AM! Crap!'

She'd slept in? That wasn't possible. She _always_ woke up at 6:30AM. Her stomach growled loudly.

'I guess I might as well get something to ea- Beast Boy!'

Raven leapt up out of bed and threw her cloak over her shoulders, fastening the clasps as she ran out the door. She ordered Beast Boy to wait for her and not leave his room and now she was more than two and a half hours late! Why did she have to have to sleep in?

She tore down the hallway and passed Starfire who was heading in the direction of the common room.

"The morning is good Friend Raven. What is your haste?"

"Beast Boy, breakfast." She quickly said over her shoulder.

The hydraulic double doors hissed open but she was forced to stop and wait until a gap that was large enough for her to slip through opened. She then hurried into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. What could she quickly make that Beast Boy would eat? Tofu eggs. That would work. She'd seen him make them over a hundred times, so it shouldn't be too hard.

'Where the hell does Beast Boy leave his eggs?' She thought impatiently.

"What are you looking for Raven?" Asked Cyborg from the couch.

"Beast Boys eggs. Where are they?"

Cyborg let out a little laugh. "Bottom shelf, way in the back. I hid them there the other day to mess with Beast Boy."

"Right." Said Raven as she reached in to the back of the fridge to retrieve the eggs.

She grabbed a frying pan and put it on the stove element. Her stomach growled loudly as if it knew food was close by. Pouring in enough for Beast Boy she paused. Well, she was hungry, and it could be worse than fake meat. She doubled the amount there was in the pan before and quickly fried it.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy was pacing about his room. He'd woken close to 6:45AM that morning and had been waiting ever since. He'd been getting restless so he'd been forced to silently count to ten more times than he could remember. On the up side of this, not once had he lost control of his powers and that gave him some small satisfaction.

He looked around his messy room and found his clock half buried under loose papers and clothing on his desk.

'11:25AM? Come on Rae, where are you?'

Beast Boy frowned at the messy state his room was in and started to pile the clothes in a corner. He was astounded at what three minutes of work could do. His room was still a mess with a heaping pile of mixed clothes in the corner but it looked a lot better than how it had three short minutes earlier. Seeing the fruits of his labor, Beast Boy went to work on the clutter covering his desk. It didn't take him long to finish that off and he proceeded on to the floor.

He was about half way through with his disheveled floor when he heard a knock at the door.

Beast Boy got up, made his way over to the door, and opened it. Raven was standing there with two plates of scrambled tofu eggs.

"I'm really sorry I'm late, but I… Slept in…"

Beast Boy smiled. The idea of Raven, the one Titan who always rose with the sun, sleeping in was actually pretty funny. One of his newly piled stacks of paper started to glow an eerie black.

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked gesturing towards his desk.

"Yea, I woke up pretty early this morning so I decided to do a little cleaning." He said with and accomplished smile on his face.

"No. Beast Boy, center yourself."

He spun on his heels and saw that almost all of the items on the desk were surrounded in the dark energy.

"Aw man."

Beast Boy inhaled deeply for what seemed like the millionth time that morning and closed his eyes.

'One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…'

As he opened his eyes, he saw that all the objects on the desk had cast off their dark aura. He allowed a small smile to form on his lips before he turned to Raven.

"How about that? I've been practicing all morning."

"I'm impressed Beast Boy. You're doing very well for just one morning." She admitted.

Beast Boy smiled even wider but caught himself. He cursed himself mentally then focused on clearing his mind. His face went completely blank like a chalkboard that had just been erased, and began to count again.

'One… Two… Three…'

:-:-:-:-:

"How about that?" Beast Boy asked. "I've been practicing all morning."

"I'm impressed Beast Boy. You're doing very well for just one morning."

In truth, Raven was astonished. She honestly didn't think it possible for Beast Boy to make such progress in such a short time. Beast Boy didn't exactly give the impression of one who could control his emotions.

Raven watched Beast Boy's face go blank of all emotion as he preformed his calming technique again. When he opened his eyes, Raven spoke.

"I've brought breakfast." She said slightly lifting the plates in both of her hands. "I hope it's ok that I made some for myself also. I was rushing a little to make it."

"That fine Raven, but you didn't need to rush. I'm not that hungry." He lied.

As soon as he finished his sentence, his stomach let out a growl in defiance.

Beast Boy forced a nervous laugh. "Ok so maybe I'm a little hungry."

Raven held in a laugh, partly because it was funny that Beast Boy was bad at trying to keep his cool, but more so that his stomach contradicted him so ferociously.

She handed him his plate and he sat on the edge of his bed. She turned his desk chair around to face him and sat down. Beast Boy had started to shovel his food down but Raven looked at hers. She gave it a hesitant poke with her fork.

'You only live once right?'

She took a bite and to her surprise, it was half bad. It was a little bland in comparison to real eggs but she had expected far worse.

"So what did you have planned for today? I'm starting to get a grip on my emotions but I doubt I would be safe in a public setting."

Raven looked up from her 'eggs' and studied Beast Boy. Did she hear him correctly? She thought he would be restless and ready to do anything to get out of here. She also hadn't expected him to say something so sensible. She made a mental note to try and give him a little more credit in the future.

"I wasn't thinking public yet but we should start to move around the tower. We should do it when the others are out because I'm still not sure you're ready to deal with all of _their_ emotions."

"Right. So when will I get to learn how to fly and stuff?" He asked.

She laughed internally, that sounded like the Beast Boy she knew.

* * *

Ok, I know this chapter was a little dry but it'll get better in the next few chapters. There's going to be some really funny stuff coming up in chapter four or five so we have that to look forward to.

For this chapter, four cans of Coca Cola gave their lives. All but one were more than willing to sacrifice themselves for your reading pleasure. Number three tried to make a break for it but I drank him in the end. You should all boo him, he didn't want you to get to read this chapter.

18 reviews for one chapter! That's a record for me! Thank you all!

pureangel86: I'm an amateur artist myself but I unfortunately do not have a scanner and my brother just left for Mexico four days ago with the digital camera. If anyone else wants to take a shot at drawing Beast Boy and Raven as they appear in this story, please feel free to do so. Thanks for reviewing.

They-Call-Me-Orange: Thanks. A few people seem to think the concept isn't that exciting but I'm very glad they gave my story a chance. I'm glad you (and hopefully those who didn't think this story concept was that original) like the way it's going and I hope you liked this chapter as well. I know I should leave my chapter off on such horrible cliffhangers but I so enjoy torturing my readers (Sorry guys). I posted reviews for your story "Scar Tissue" with a couple of tips. I hope you found them helpful.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thanks. I glad you like it. Sorry about the cliffys but I'm starting to get an unhealthy liking for them. This one wasn't so bad as far as cliffys go so consider it a break from the norm.

Coeus: I'm glad that you enjoyed my previous story and I thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the story thus far, I hope this chapter was as enjoyable as the previous ones. Thanks for reviewing.

Raven The Black Rose: It's good to see people like the story. I do wish that this were done instead of what happened in "Switched". Thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: I'm happy to see you liked the previous chapters. Beast Boy and Raven did not switch bodies though. First of all I didn't think that was very original and second, I didn't want to have to deal with the whole moral implications of a male being in a female's body and vice versa. I'm sorry if that was unclear but thanks for reviewing.

Glean-Glean: Well thank you very much. In the beginning before I'd seen the light, I liked the BbxTerra pairing and believed RobxStar to be the best. However, over a couple weeks time reading some RobxStar with a little BbxRae on the side, my interests were piqued. I read more and more BbxRae and now I'm a hardcore believer in BBXRae. As for Terra, some people say hate is a strong word; I don't think hate is anywhere near strong enough to describe my feelings towards her. I'm not a basher though, I feel it takes away from the main story. I hope that answered your question. Thanks for reviewing.

BlackRoses4Raven: Thanks. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

leons dragon: Ok dragon buddy, I'll keep up the writing. I'm glad you thought it was funny. Thanks for reviewing.

darktrique: Thanks. It's good to see people are enjoying it. Beast Boy's reaction wasn't as funny as it could be but I do want to slide a little romance in there.

akiismarina: No! Not the weasel ninjas! I'm happy you like it. Thanks for reviewing.

FantasyObsessed: Thank you very much. I kind of figured the same thing. At first, I had beast boy screaming something like, "AHHHHH! Where's my green?" but I decided that was a little to slapstick. Thanks for reviewing.

Snea: Sorry about the cliffhanger but I couldn't resist. Thanks for reviewing.

warprince2000: Thanks.

DarkCypher: Thanks. As opposed to going into the lengthy and possibly emotional process of having Raven give her chakra gem to Beast Boy, I figured I could half ass it and explain it away with Mumbo's magic. Sorry if that seemed kind of lame. It does seem like Beast Boy is getting the short end of the stick though, Raven can express her emotions now and Beat Boy has to suppress his. Thanks for reviewing.

dannyXsam-forever: Thanks. I'm glad you think the plot is original. I was going for something a little different than the norm. I hope this does become one of your favorite stories. Thanks again.

Phantom Moon: Thank you very much. I compare the way I ended the chapter to a cliffhanger in the sense that I just left you guys hanging there until I next update. I'm going to do my best to update every three days at least but it may take four sometimes (Or even two!). Thanks for reviewing.

Lol61188: I'm sorry but I'm evil that way. Thanks for reviewing.

Thanks again for all the reviews! You guys rock!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.


	4. Tofu Soup?

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation. Don't you just hate it when you can't think of anything completely random? Then you start going off on this rant about how random stuff is hard to come up with and without even knowing it, you've just put a bunch of random stuff in the disclaimer. Weird huh?

* * *

Chapter Four

Beast Boy had followed Raven throughout the whole tower to see what kind of emotions the different rooms brought up in him and how well he could empathically deal with the emotions left in those rooms. They were alone because Raven thought Beast Boy could still use a little more time to adjust to their new circumstances, so the others were out. Robin had been out since 9:00AM because Mumbo had regained consciousness and he intended to interrogate him.

They entered the room Raven had left for last: The common room. She'd decided to leave it for last because the other Titans had been interacting in there recently so it would be ripe with residual emotions. No matter how much time passed, a room would always have a faint hint of emotions, that was just the way it worked, but the common room would be particularly strong. Beast Boy's concentration on containing his powers had not faltered once throughout the whole tower and this pleased him.

Dealing with empathy was a new thing for Beast Boy. It's hard to describe how it allowed him to perceive others emotions but if he had to describe it, he'd have said that it was like a mix of sounds, tastes, and the way different temperatures feel on the skin. He'd been able to identify the way a few felt with Raven's help; happiness, sadness, fear, anxiousness, and concern.

"Get ready." Raven warned him as they approached the common room doors.

Beast Boy just nodded.

The doors slid open and he felt a torrent of emotions roll over him. He almost took a step back from the sudden flood of emotions but he restrained himself. It was tough to feel what emotions were there because they all seemed to mingle into one another but Beast Boy could recognize a few.

'What's that? Easy, that one's happiness and there's a little anxiousness. What are those though?'

Beast Boy was very surprised. Not by the strength of the emotions alone, but because they were so strong despite the fact that his friends weren't even in the room. If this was what they were like after his friends had been away for a couple of hours, what would it feel like coming straight from them? So far, he's only felt a little emotion from Raven. What he felt was fairly weak too. He figured that she must have been suppressing her emotions; probably out of habit, but Beast Boy got the impression that it was also for his sake. Maybe that was just wishful thinking.

"Are you alright?" Raven asked, rousing him for his deep thought.

"Yea, they were a little surprising though. Are they always really strong in here?"

"Usually." She replied as they both made their way into the room. "But that's no stronger than what normally comes from people."

"So you've been suppressing yours then." Beast Boy stated so that it was in no way a question.

"Well, yes. I have been because I wasn't sure if you could handle them."

Beast Boy thought for a moment. 'She's had to control her emotions all of her life and now she's free to express them. We don't even know if this will last long and she's suppressing them for my sake…'

"It's ok Rae, I was a little caught off guard before but I'm pretty sure I can handle it if you let go of them. Besides, you should have some fun now when you won't blow anything up."

He felt a little warmth pass over him. It resembled happiness but was a little different. Could it be gratitude?

:-:-:-:-:

"It's ok Rae, I was a little caught off guard before but I'm pretty sure I can handle it if you let go of them." Beast Boy said with a small smile. "Besides, you should have some fun now when you won't blow anything up."

How could he be so kind? Last night he doubted, and with founded doubt in Raven's opinion, that they would ever be able to return to the way they were originally. He was handling his emotions and those he felt empathically a great deal better than she would have expected anyone to in a situation such as this.

Sure, Starfire had managed to control her emotions when they had switched bodies, but it wasn't as hard for her. Her powers were very much like Raven's: driven by emotion. Even if Starfire was emotional, she knew how to bring up, or put down the emotions she wanted at will.

Beast Boy was a different story. It seemed like he lived to be, and to make others, happy.

'It must just be in his nature.' She thought. 'Even if he can't be happy right now, he wants others to be happy.'

"Thanks Beast Boy, but I don't think I should start getting used to expressing my emotions. It would be harder to suppress them when we get this sorted out." She explained in her usual monotone.

"Aw come on Rae… I'm not allowed to feel emotions right now, I'm going to need you to do that for me. I'm happy when you guys are happy so that's going to be the best I can get. And look at it this way, it'll be a lot easier for me to deal with emotions coming from all four of you if I start off with one."

What he said did make sense, but should she? Could she? She'd not been allowed to express her emotions since early childhood. Save for the incident with Malchior, she had always suppressed her emotions. She was allowed to feel now though and it seemed like the perfect time to let out her pent up emotions. Besides, it would prepare Beast Boy for what to expect around the others.

"I-I'll try I guess." She said, mentally cursing herself for stuttering.

"Alright!" Beast Boy happily exclaimed.

He quickly shut is mouth and eyes and inhaled a deep breath through his nose. He opened his eyes again shortly after.

"I've gotten the counting down to five now." He said as he stood. "We should get something to eat. It's two o'clock and I still haven't had lunch."

Raven started to suppress a laugh but stopped herself. It came out as a sort of half-laugh half-grunt.

:-:-:-:-:

A grunt-like laugh escaped Raven's green mouth and Beast Boy just stared at her. He wanted her to express her emotions but that was just odd.

"What? You said you wanted me to express my emotions." She replied to his weird look. "You always seem to have food on the mind. I thought that was kind of funny."

Beast Boy just smirked as he entered the kitchen.

'This ought to get some emotion out of her.'

"I was thinking Raven, since you seemed to like those tofu eggs so much, why don't we have a crème of tofu soup?" He said as he reached into the cupboard for a pot.

"Now hold on a second!" Raven said quickly. "The tofu eggs weren't that bad but I don't want to eat tofu for every meal!"

Something that felt like a slightly cool breeze blew past Beast Boy. He had succeeded in getting a rise out of her. The emotion he felt was strong but not overpowering so he was pleased.

"Chill out, I was just kidding. How about some tomato soup?"

"That sounds better." Raven replied with a softer tone in voice.

:-:-:-:-:

"That damn idiot!" Shouted Robin as he slammed the door of the T-Car shut.

Cyborg was about to yell at him for hurting his 'baby' but decided against it seeing the mood Robin was in. Cyborg and Starfire had just picked up Robin from a five-hour interrogation of Mumbo. Mumbo played it tough for about an hour and a half before even speaking but Robin had dealt with that before. Once Mumbo had started talking, the small amount of information that he gave bore little relevance to Raven and Beast Boy's problem.

He always danced around the subject of the hat and tried to redirect the conversation, but Robin got him in the end. He ended up admitting that he found the hat accidentally when he was moving items in an estate sale. He didn't have the slightest idea how it worked and the best he could do was say that it was 'magic'. He said that since the hat was destroyed, he could see no way to reverse its effects.

"I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to mess with something so powerful without having full knowledge of its workings!" Robin shouted again.

"It didn't go so well I take it." Said Cyborg, not removing his eyes from the road ahead of him.

Robin gave him an irritable glare. "What do you think?"

"Friends please!" Came Starfire from the back seat. "Let us not fight with one another! What did you learn from the Mumbo?"

"That fool has no idea how to reverse what he did. He was an idiot with power when he had the hat, now he's just an idiot."

"Perhaps the hat can be repaired?" She asked.

"We tried that. It's just shreds now, whatever power it held disappeared when it was destroyed."

"Great, just great." Muttered Cyborg guiltily.

Robin's tensed shoulders relaxed and he let out a deep sigh.

"It's not your fault Cy, you made the right call. I would have done the same thing if I could have gotten out of those stupid cloths. Beast Boy and Raven sounded like they were in a lot of pain too."

Cyborg smiled, some of his guilt had been alleviated but he still had that nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy brought both of the empty bowls to the sink and turned on the faucet. He'd enjoyed his meal alone with Raven. It was a far cry from a date, but it was he and her alone nonetheless.

"That was good. Thanks a lot BB." Said Raven with a smile.

Beast Boy loved it when Raven smiled. It was a very rare occurrence to see Raven truly smile and even though he'd known her for years, Beast Boy was sure he could count the number of times she did on two hands. She was pretty when she smiled, even if she was green. That was one of the reasons he always tried to make her smile and after he and Cyborg traveled into her mind, he wanted to make her laugh. When he heard Happy laugh for the first time, laugh a true and hearty laugh, it sounded like sweet music to his ears.

He averted his eyes from her and blushed slightly. It was odd to hear Raven use his nickname. The bowl he had been washing turned black and he let go of it. It hung in the air where he released it though.

"Damn." He muttered.

'One… Two… Three… Four… Five…'

As he was half way through mentally counting the last word, the bowl dropped from where it hovered and splashed into the warm water of the sink. Water sloshed out of the sink and hit Beast Boy. Raven giggled a little and Beast Boy blushed again. At least he got to hear her laugh. He closed his eyes and forced the emotion down.

"I meant to do that." He said as he opened his eyes.

"Of course you did." Raven said sarcastically and laughed.

Beast Boy felt like smiling and laughing himself but he quelled the thought. This was a lot harder than he thought. He was finally enjoying a little time with Raven and he had managed not to act like a complete idiot, but it felt a little empty. If only he could laugh with her, tell a joke, or just goof around.

'This is what she dealt with every day of her life.' He realized. 'And I'd been trying my hardest to make her smile and laugh. She couldn't though, even if she wanted to. I was being such a damn a heel.'

"Hey Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for trying to make you laugh, bugging you when you were meditating or reading, and just being a fool all the time. This is a lot harder than you let on and me joking around all the time can't have helped." He said still looking at the dishes in the sink.

"Don't be, please don't be. I did have to work to keep my emotions in check but I like it when you tell me jokes. I may not have been able to laugh but it's nice that somebody was trying." She said with a slight red tint in her cheeks.

"Thanks Raven."

"For what?"

"For being you." He said honestly.

Raven blushed and looked away but said nothing.

'Man she looks pretty.'

'You should tell her you like her.' Part of his mind said.

'Yea, that'll be the day.' He thought back. '"Raven, I love you."'

'So you lover her!'

'Well… Yea, I do…' He thought defeated.

One of the dishes in the water cracked in half but the water muffled the sound.

"Uh, Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I just want you to know tha-"

Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin interrupted Beast Boy. They entered the common room and Beast Boy was hit with a strong sort of sour chill. From the look of them, it was pretty easy to see that the emotions must be frustration and defeat.

Robin dropped heavily on the semi-circular couch, Cyborg followed suit.

"So what did you find out?" Raven asked, still sitting at the table with a cup of tea in hand.

Robin turned his head and saw Beast Boy standing by the sink.

"What about-" Raven cut him off.

"This concerns him as well."

"Well, alright. Basically Mumbo is useless without the hat. Seeing as it has now been destroyed, there's no way he can help. He found the hat by accident. That incompetent fool didn't even know how the damn thing worked!" Robin finished with anger rising in his voice.

Beast Boy could feel the emotions Robin was casting off: frustration, anger, and deep resentment. Again, he didn't need Raven to tell him what they were; it was plain to see in the state their leader was in. It was a very strange feeling, Beast Boy could feel anger and frustration rising in himself as a result of what his friend was feeling. He quickly squelched the hot feeling growing in his chest.

'One… Two… Three… Four… Five…'

When he opened his eyes, he saw Cyborg looking at him from the couch almost expectantly.

"You're taking this pretty well B."

"I hadn't really expected him to help us out." He said in a monotone that was frighteningly similar to that of Ravens.

:-:-:-:-:

"You're taking this pretty well B." Said Cyborg.

Raven stood and walked to the sink with her empty mug. Beast Boy simply looked at Cyborg.

"I hadn't really expected him to help us out." He replied plainly.

'He is taking this surprisingly well… Last night he seemed so forlorn. What could have changed that?' She wondered.

"How well are you progressing with Raven Beast Boy?" Starfire asked.

"Alright I guess. I haven't blown anything up anyway."

"Yes, he's doing very well. I'm sure that I can start teaching him how to use his powers soon." Raven added.

Raven said _his_ powers because in truth, they were his now. Even if she wanted her old powers back, the fact of the matter was that she couldn't have them back right now. Not until they came up with a way to fix this problem.

Beast Boy must have picked up on this because he gave her a questioning look. If the others had noticed it, they said nothing.

"That's good." Said Robin. "It'd be a lie if I told you I was comfortable with this situation, but right now I'm down two teammates. The sooner you guys are ready to fight again the better. Don't rush this though, I don't want you guys back before you're both sure you're ready."

Raven thought for a moment. 'Beast Boy has done exceptionally well today, maybe I can start teaching him how to use his powers now.'

"Yo BB. Do you want to go a couple rounds on the game station?" Cyborg asked as he shook a controller in the air.

Raven tensed. He loved to play with Cyborg on the game station but now with his emotion driven powers, this could only result in trouble.

Beast Boy walked to the couch but looked at the game station as though it were a bomb that would go off any second. Then again, he was the bomb; the game station was just the match that would set him off.

"Uh… I'd like to Cy but I think it would better if I didn't." He said pointing to the gem set in his forehead.

"Oh…" Said Cyborg and he lowered his eyes. "Sorry man, I forgot."

"It's ok. I think I'll go for a walk around the tower." He said as he exited the common room.

"Beast Boy has never turned down an opportunity to play on the station of gaming. Has he contracted an illness?" Starfire asked.

It may have seemed like Beast Boy was completely emotionless but Raven knew better. He was pretty dejected and she knew from personal experience the difference between that and being truly emotionless.

"He's just adjusting Star. I'm sure he'll be fine in a while." Robin assured her.

"I think I'll go see how he's doing." Raven said and exited before anyone could reply.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy attempted to skip another stone from the boulder he sat on. The beach he had been walking on was rocky since it faced the inside of the bay and the city. The opposite side of the island had the nice sandy beach because it was the side that was continually pounded by the surf of the ocean. It was still hot out and Beast Boy had his feet in the water.

"Damn." He cursed as he failed at skipping a stone.

Beside him lay a small pile of flat rocks that were perfect for skipping. Unfortunately, Beast Boy wasn't very good at skipping rocks.

'Stop feeling sorry for yourself.' He thought. 'Raven had to deal with this every day of her life! You haven't even had a full day of it and you're moping.'

"Hey." Said Raven from behind him. "You exercised a lot of control back there. You should be proud."

'I don't feel proud.'

"Thanks." He mumbled.

"What are you doing?"

"Skipping rocks. Well, trying to anyway."

"Oh, can I try?" The green Titan asked.

"Sure." He said gesturing to the pile.

"What do you do?"

"You've never skipped rocks before?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief.

"No."

"Ok, you're supposed to get a good flat and round stone, get close to the surface of the water and chuck it along the surface. You're also supposed to put a spin on the rock as you let it go." He explained.

Raven examined the pile of rocks Beast Boy collected and selected one. She spun it around in her hand until she had a comfortable grip on in then crouched close to the water. Pulling her arm back, she quickly swung it forward releasing the stone. It sailed about an inch above the water for a moment before it hit the surface and bounced. It did that again about eight more times before it glided on the water and fell to the depths below.

Beast Boy smiled. 'First time? Yea right.'

"I did it!" She exclaimed with a hint of excitement in her voice.

* * *

There we are! A little shorter than the other chapters but it's up nonetheless. This one was a little bit, and I stress little, less dry than chapter three. Do not despair! Chapter five will be chalked FULL of hilarity, fluffiness, and a horribly cruel cliffhanger at the end. 

Poor Beast Boy, he was so close! Why is it that those other Titans always have to screw it up for him?

If anyone knows Mumbo Jumbo's real name(Or the name of the guy he is without the hat) I'd appreciate it.

This chapter only required the sacrifice of three cans of coke. I was tempted to drink a fourth but to my horror I found that I've run out! I'm going to head down to the corner store and pick up a twelve-pack after I post this.

Man, it feels like it takes half the time I take to write these chapters just to respond to the reviews. That is the most awesomely amazingly cool thing ever though! You guys rock! I love any and all feedback you may have for me so please continue to review.

Snea: Thank you. I do enjoy being original in everything I do, even lame excuses. Sorry if that didn't make a great deal of sense the first time around but I think you got the gist of it. I fixed it after I read your review though. Thanks for reviewing!

Lilagirl: Thanks. I'm glad that people like it.

lol61188: That would be me. I am updating pretty quickly as compared to how often I did in the past, but even I can't wait to see what happens next! That's why I'm shooting these chapters out so quickly. I hope it's not lessening the quality of my writing. Thanks for reviewing!

warprince2000: Thanks!

Huupa: I think you very much for your three reviews! I too dislike it when the second half of a chapter is nothing more than a similar copy of the first half from a slightly different point of view. I don't really know how I came up with the doing a slight recap while in another point of view before continuing. I think I got that from watching too many movies. You are more than welcome to use this style of writing in your future works. I stake no claim to it so that goes for everyone else who wishes to write with this style, please feel free. Again, thanks for the reviews.

They-Call-Me-Orange: Thanks a lot. I'm glad I could help you. When do you think your first chapter will be up?

WickedWitchoftheSE: Laughs No problem. I like Beast Boy being a bit more mature also. It's a little out of character, but I think this is what he'd be like if he just dropped the funny for a little while. Thanks for reviewing.

FirefliesWish: Ooooh a cookie! I'm glad that the soda gods are happy. I probably should drink as much Coca Cola as I do but it's tough when you've been raised on the stuff (My dad's worked for the Coca Cola corporation since he was 17!). Everyone loves random comments! Thanks for reviewing!

darktrique: Thanks. More funny will come in chapter five!

Coeus: Thank you. You in-depth reviews help me very much. I too think Beast Boy has more going on underneath his clown persona. I'm also glad that people don't find the style of writing I use confusing or annoying. Thanks again for your review!

Raven The Black Rose: Thanks. I'm happy you like it. I do know what you mean and I would be happy if you were to draw them. Thanks for reviewing.

DarkCypher: Not a stabbing! Here's another chapter! Thanks for reviewing.

akiismarina: I fear no evil monkey overlord! Ok… That's a lie… Monkeys are kind of creepy. Even more so if they're evil, and doubly more so if they're overlords. Well I guess my bravery kinda crapped out. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

Bogbrush: Thanks!

Pastelstorm: Thank you. I don't want to give anything away but Raven will be using her new abilities in the next chapter. This will result in some of the funny. Thanks for reviewing.

AnimatedWickedRaven: Thanks. I figured that was the most appropriate thing to have Beast Boy do. I've always been told to take a breath and count to ten whenever I get a little ticked off. As for your friends that tease you about it, you should say, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!" and then turn green and grow huge and all musclie. (I have and never had and affiliation with Stan Lee of the comic company he owns. The Incredible Hulk is his property and I simply used the reference to make a funny.) If you can't do that, then you should start a food fight. Thanks for reviewing!

OveractiveMind: The fluff was low, it's increasing a little but the good stuff will come in chapter five. Colamo? Is that like the Alamo, but with clowns? That would make for an interesting movie. Thanks for reviewing.

oanfly: Thanks. This chapter saw a little more OOCness from Raven but I'll attempt to remedy some of that in chapter five. Thanks for reviewing.

iforgotmyname: Thank you. I'm glad that so many people like the perspective swapping. Thanks for your review.

FantastObsessed: Huzza!

pureangel86: I started to do a little of that in this chapter, but there will be more, and in a little fluffier way, in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

satusimpson: Thank you very much. I too would love to see this as an episode. The morphing will be fun. Thanks for reviewing. P.S. I'm really enjoying your story "My Eyes!"

Moerkesteskyggen: Thanks. I'd like to apologize to you and to all my readers for any grammatical errors similar in nature to that. I do the bulk of my writing in the wee hours of the morning so my mind is not always on top of it. I'm not going to use that as an excuse though, I'll go back through the whole story and try to fix those mistakes as well as strive to not make them in the future. Thank you very much for pointing those out to me and thanks for reviewing.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	5. Meow

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I dedicate this chapter to my cat Maquinna. My aunt has come over this weekend and she's brought her dog with her. Now my cat is hanging out with me in the downstairs of my house. This usually wouldn't be a problem but… SHE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY! I'm getting even less sleep than I normally do because she keeps waking me up to pay attention to her. She's even hopped up on the keyboard to get it!

By dedicating this chapter to you, you little annoying ball of fuzz, I hope you'll quit bugging me and let me write!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Five

It had been a day since Beast Boy had been interacting with the other Titans and things were going well. He'd learned a great deal about how to handle the emotions of his teammates and how empathy worked in general. At first he was surprised when he found out that if people around him were feeling strong emotions, like when Robin was angry, he began to feel those emotions himself.

He had control over them now though. The fact that he had such control over them amazed even him.

It was really different though. It felt like he was invading his friend's privacy simply being able to feel what they felt. For instance, he knew that Cyborg felt guilty for stopping Mumbo. He thought it was his fault that they were stuck the way they were. In a sense, it was, but he did what he had to do to save them. Beast Boy didn't know if they would have been killed by what Mumbo was doing to them, but it sure felt like it could have.

Again, Beast Boy had been awake since early morning. This gave him a chance to do some laundry, clean his room a little more, and just relax in the common room. The only other Titan awake was Robin.

"Good morning." He greeted from the table.

"Morning." Replied Beast Boy.

"So what do you and Raven have planned for today?"

"Not a lot. She's going to start teaching me how to use these powers." He lifted his hands. "If we have time I'm going to start teaching her how to transform into some simple animals. We're supposed to start around ten o'clock."

"And where do you plan to do all this?" He asked as he poured another glass of orange juice.

"Well, we're not going to be doing anything big so we figured just here in the common room. Raven says it should be quiet when I first start so you guys should go train or something."

Robin let out a small laugh. "We're getting kicked out again? Ok. I guess I could have Cy and Star run the training simulator."

Beast Boy said nothing but walked into the kitchen and pulled out a couple pieces of sliced bread. He wasn't very hungry this morning so he opted to have some peanut butter toast. After he placed the two slices of bread in the toaster, he sat at the table across from Robin. It was quiet in the kitchen, almost totally silent but Robin was making scraping noises every time he scooped up another fork full of hash browns. Usually Beast Boy hated silences like this, it was almost like he _had_ to break the quiet or he would explode due to pent up energy. It was different this time though; there was a kind of dignified quality to the quiet atmosphere he was sharing with his leader.

The toaster popped up the browned pieces of toast and Beast Boy casually made his way from the table to the cupboard where the peanut butter was stored. He slathered the peanut butter thickly over the toast and sat at the table again.

Robin broke the near soundlessness.

"So how are you taking this? I mean really, you look calm and everything but you must have some feelings towards your current 'condition'."

Beast Boy swallowed a bite of his toast and studied his leader's expression. He was serious but concerned at the same time. He could clearly feel the concern emanating from him but it felt like he was trying to suppress it.

"It's not that big a deal. I used to have abilities others didn't have before and I used them to help people. I may not have those same abilities, but I have different ones now that can still be used to help people. I intend to continue to do so and that means learning to use these powers." He replied in a steady voice. "Nothing's really changed."

Robin's expression changed to that of a thoughtful one for a moment then he smiled.

"That's good to hear. I don't know if I tell you guys this enough, but I'm glad to have such dedicated people on my team." Robin rose from the table with his plate and glass and moved to the sink. "I hope your training goes well with Raven."

With that, the boy wonder left for the common room door. He was stopped momentarily as he reached it though.

"Hey Robin?"

Robin just turned and looked at him.

"Thanks."

:-:-:-:-:

Robin thought about what Beast Boy said for a moment.

'He really is dedicated to helping people. It doesn't matter what's happening to him, he still wants to help protect the city.'

It was true, though he may have been known to goof around and act like a fool in general, Beast Boy always did what had to be done when it came down to it. He was always someone that Robin or anyone could depend on when needed.

Robin smiled.

"That's good to hear." He said, grabbing his now empty plate a glass. "I don't know if I tell you guys this enough, but I'm glad to have such dedicated people on my team. I hope your training goes well with Raven."

His tone of voice changed slightly when he said Raven. He'd been starting to suspect that Beast Boy might have feelings for her. True, Beast Boy didn't seem as far gone as he was for Starfire, but there was definitely something there.

He was almost out the door when Beast Boy stopped him.

"Hey Robin?"

Robin just turned and looked at him through his mask, waiting for him to continue.

"Thanks."

He gave his pale friend a smile and continued on through the doors.

'I guess I better go get Star and Cy.' He thought to himself.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy looked out the window of the common room. On the city side shore he could see there were lots of people playing around, swimming, and just having a good time. It was still pretty hot out, but at least the heat wave was over. He too wanted to go out and have fun. Just to swim around, have a water fight, or even build a sand castle.

He smiled briefly as he remembered the giant sand castle he, Cyborg, and Starfire had constructed a week ago. Robin decided to tan during most of the construction, but even he eventually helped out. Raven hadn't though, of course she hadn't. She couldn't. She would have been like Beast Boy was now, idle looking out the window wishing she weren't restricted by her powers.

Beast Boy toyed with the idea of going out anyway. 'Hey, I do have these powers under my control. Maybe going out wouldn't be such a bad idea.'

He quickly quashed the idea. Only havoc and destruction would come of that.

He sighed deeply.

"Where are you Raven?" He turned his gaze to the clock on the wall. "It's already 11:15AM!"

Beast Boy decided it would be better to go wake her as opposed to waiting another minute longer.

On his way to the door he started to have doubts about what he was so sure of a few minutes ago. 'Is this such a good idea? Raven never likes to be disturbed when she's in her room.'

'It doesn't matter, she's already more than an hour late!' A second part of his mind reasoned.

'I'm pretty sure that it's a sign of insanity when your mind argues with itself.' Beast Boy thought.

'Oh yea? You were already crazy before any of this happened.' The second part of his mind stated. 'You're already at her door so you might as well just get it over with.'

Beast Boy was to busy paying attention to the conversation going on in his head to realize he had already arrived at her door. He stepped forward to knock but he heard her alarm clock beeping through the door. He almost laughed but quickly centered himself. It seemed Raven had also inherited Beast Boy's ability to sleep through nearly anything. He gently knocked on the door.

After waiting a moment and hearing no reply to his knock but the steady beeping of her alarm clock, Beast Boy knocked harder.

"Hey Rae? It's like 11:15 and you haven't showed up for breakfast or anything."

Still no reply save for that grating beeping.

Beast Boy was beginning to think something bad might have happened to Raven and he was now pounding on the door.

"Raven! Are you all right?" He almost shouted. "I'm coming in!"

:-:-:-:-:

Raven awoke to a pounding at her door. She wasn't fully awake but she heard the jarring beeping of her clock. It was too early, she still needed sleep. She lazily rolled over a smacked the source of the displeasing noise and attempted to return to sleep.

A muffled shouting came from the other side of the door but in her half-conscious state, it meant very little to her and she pulled the blankets up around her.

The door slid open and in came Beast Boy. He was trying to stay calm but it was evident that he was struggling. The sight that met him calmed him immediately though. What he saw was so funny that he wanted to drop to the floor and laugh until he couldn't any longer.

He did his best to hold it in though and approached her bedside.

"Time to wake up Rae." He said softly.

She barely stirred.

"Wake up Raven!" Beast Boy shouted.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy franticly punched in the manual override for the door lock. A small tone indicated he had given the proper code and just as the door began to slide open, the alarm clock stopped.

'I'm almost there Rae!' He thought to himself.

He rushed through the door and nearly laughed at the sight that met him. Raven curled up in a mass of blankets that looked very similar to a nest. Her head was poking out and she had a large smile on her face. It was so priceless that Beast Boy wished he had a camera.

'She looks so cute.' He thought.

'Yea, it's almost a shame to wake her.' Another part of his mind agreed.

He knelt by the edge of her bed and tried to rouse her from her slumber.

"Time to wake up Rae."

Her head rolled to the other side and she stretched slightly but she was still asleep.

'Well, it looks like there's only one thing left to do…'

"Wake up Raven!" He shouted loudly.

She rolled over again but yawned deeply.

"Five more minutes." She groaned.

Beast Boy couldn't contain it anymore, he laughed loudly. As a result of his outburst, Raven's alarm clock began to glow black and shook.

:-:-:-:-:

'Why is someone trying to wake me? I just want to sleep a little longer.' Raven thought to herself.

"Five more minutes." She mumbled as she rolled over.

Suddenly there was laughter. It was definitely too loud and would destroy any chance of returning to sleep.

"Beast Boy?"

Raven was starting to become more aware of her surroundings and looked to the source of the laughter. Beast Boy was kneeling by the side of her bed and was laughing. He was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.

'Beast Boy's laughing? Wait… He's not supposed to be laughing…'

Just as she finished her last thought, her alarm clock shattered into an uncountable number of pieces. Beast Boy's head snapped up and his laughing halted immediately.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Well, you were more than an hour late for when were supposed to start training. I came here to get you but there was no answer from inside." He explained. "I guess I sorta panicked."

Raven gave him a disbelieving look.

"What? I warned you that I was coming in!"

"Right. Whatever, I need to get dressed. Out." She said pointing at the door.

:-:-:-:-:

After Raven got dressed, she met Beast Boy in the common room and they had lunch. They didn't speak much but Beast Boy didn't really mind, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence so he was content.

Raven brought her dishes to the sink and started to wash them.

"I thought animals were supposed to be alert and all that in the mornings." She said looking in Beast Boy's direction.

"Yea, but what about carefree animals? Dogs and cats can be pretty lazy."

"I guess so."

"So when are we going to start training?" He asked.

Raven set the dishes on the drying rack and walked back to the table.

"Right now I guess."

"Ok. What are we going to start off with?"

"I thought we'd start off by moving some small objects. Sit down and focus on that plate." She said, indicating the plate she had set at the opposite end of the table. "It's actually quite simple. All you have to do is focus on the object, have what you want that object to do clear in your mind, and say 'Azerath Metrion Zinthos'."

'Ok.' Beast Boy thought. 'This'll be easy, just have to focus on what I want it to do.'

Beast Boy looked at the plate and imagined it gently sliding across the table, coming to a rest in front of him.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos." He quietly said.

The plate became engulfed in darkness and slowly slid across the table. It created a faint scraping noise as it slid and finally came to a stop directly in front of Beast Boy. He smiled for a brief moment before adorning his more or less stoic expression.

"How did you do that?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"It was just like you said Rae. Focus on it, imagine what you want it to do, and say those words."

"But you managed to hold a clear picture of what you wanted it to do just like that?"

"Yea." He replied. "It's not very different from what you need to do to change. You have to keep a clear picture of the animal you want and presto; there's your animal."

"Interesting." She said. "Well, you seem to have the basics, it's the same for moving larger objects too. It may take a bit more concentration and effort, but you should be able to move things like busses and even small buildings. I find it helps if I direct my arms toward the objects I'm moving; it helps channel the energy more easily. Be careful though, when you're doing something that takes a great deal of effort, it will begin to strain your body because of all the energy that's flowing through you."

"Alright, how about healing?"

"For healing, it's a little different, you have to feel the energy inside of you. When you feel it, you have to try and feel it in your hands. If you imagine a soft blue glow in your chest spreading to your hands, it should make it a little easier."

Beast Boy closed his eyes and tried to imagine the soft blue glow within. He imagined it spreading to his palms but he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and look at his palms, but saw nothing but the pale gray skin that was there a moment before.

He frowned. "I don't feel anything."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to do it when you need to." She said and gave him a comforting smile. "When you're going to heal something, just put your hands above the wound and imagine what you want the energy in your hands to do. There's something about the healing that you need to know, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

Beast Boy looked at the serious expression on her face and nodded.

"I promise."

Raven let out a small sigh and continued. "Ok. When you heal an injury, you will absorb the pain. You'll feel it in your chest and depending on the severity of the injury you healed, can last up to a week."

'What?' Beast Boys mind felt like it just choked. 'She takes the pain of those she heals? Raven's healed me hundreds of times though!'

"Raven…" He breathed. "You should have told someone… You should have told me. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come to you with all those minor scrapes and cuts."

"It's ok." She said and smiled warmly. "I'd gotten used to it."

"Yea but-" Raven cut him off.

"Please Beast Boy, It's fine. Now about flying, just imagine yourself as the object you slid across the table." She said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Ok." Beast Boy said, still slightly rattled by this new revelation.

He walked to the middle of the common room in front of the semicircular couch and closed his eyes. He thought of himself slowly lifting a foot off the ground. With that picture in mind, he chanted out the magic words.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

He opened his eyes as he felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes had gone completely white and were casting off a bright light. He imagined himself moving around in circles in front of the couch and he, almost instantaneously, did. The sensation was different from that of flying, but he enjoyed it. He floated above the couch and dropped down onto one of the cushions.

"Well that was interesting." He said plainly. "How about I take a break and teach _you_ some stuff now?"

Raven nodded. "Sure."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven watched as he floated around in front of the couch. She smiled. It looked like he was having a little fun. How he was able to use her powers so quickly astonished Raven. It seemed nothing short of miraculous that he could manage any of it at all but he'd been able to move a plate to himself flawlessly, and on the first try!

He may not have been able to get the healing powers to work but he was now gliding around the room. He floated above the couch and dropped down.

"Well that was interesting. How about I take a break and teach _you_ some stuff now?"

Raven thought about it for a moment. 'I guess I could start to learn to use these powers. Hey, it might even be fun.'

"Sure." She nodded.

"Ok, come over here then."

Raven walked around to the front of the couch.

"Right, it'll be easier for you to transform if you get rid of any loose clothing. Just ditch the cape."

She looked at him oddly for a moment but did as she was instructed.

"What's with the look? Don't tell me you thought I wore this spandex jumpsuit because I think it looks cool." He said with a small laugh before centering himself again.

Raven blushed a little. "Well I guess I did. But why are you wearing it now then?"

Beast Boy looked down at himself and shrugged. "I guess I don't have any other clothes."

"Oooooookay. So what do I do now?"

"Like I said before, morphing isn't very different from using your powers to move things. All you have to do is think of the animal you want to transform into. You have to get a good picture of that animal in your mind, then imagine what it would be like to be that animal. You'll have to concentrate on the from you take or you might change back." He said. "Lets start you off with something simple; a kitten, that should work."

Raven nodded and closed her eyes.

"Wait a second." Beast Boy interrupted. "There are two things you have to know; first, you'll have to fight your animal instincts. They shouldn't be too strong as a kitten but it's still something you should look out for. Second, how you transform back into yourself: just think of the way you look now and you should be able to switch back pretty easily. You'll switch back instantly if you loose consciousness or you get startled so watch out for that."

"Sounds easy enough." Said Raven as she closed her eyes.

'Just have to focus on a kitten.' She thought as the image formed in her mind. 'What would it be like to be a kitten?'

Raven could feel her body starting to change, her bones were moving, and she was shrinking. She felt fur sprout all over he skin and her spine began to grow more segments. Her tail had almost fully grown and her ears had shifted to the top of her head. Whiskers had grown and she could feel little comb-like prongs pop out of her tongue.

Is this what Beast Boy felt like every time he transformed? The sensation was one of the oddest things she'd ever felt in her life. She looked down at her hands but found they were now paws and they were on the floor. She lifted one of them and curled it up; claws sprang out.

She was suddenly struck with the overwhelming feeling that she needed to curl up somewhere warm and go to sleep. Looking around the room she found something that would be perfect. Beast Boy.

She began to quietly walk towards her objective.

"Remember Rae, you're in charge, not the cat. Change back."

What was he saying? It didn't matter. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to the warm sleeping place she'd decided upon. She gingerly hopped up on the couch and onto Beast Boys lap. It was warm as she'd originally determined so she curled up and began to purr.

"Uh…"

:-:-:-:-:

Raven completed the transformation and standing where she was a second ago was a small green kitten. The kitten looked at Beast Boy for a moment as though it were making up its mind, and started to approach him.

'Uh oh. Looks like Raven's animal instincts have taken over.'

"Remember Rae, you're in charge, not the cat." He said in an attempt to snap her out of it. "Change back."

His words seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever and she gracefully hopped up on the seat beside Beast Boy's and climbed on his lap. She looked up at him with her large violet eyes in a way that seemed to demand he pet her. She then lowered her head and began to purr.

"Uh…"

'Go ahead, she looks so cute!' Part of his mind said.

'She'll kill you if you do.' Another reasoned.

'But just look at her! Come on, what's the harm?' The first argued.

Beast Boy caved. She looked far too cute to just shove her off. He began to scratch her behind the ears and she purred even louder.

'This is definitely one to tell the guys: I had Raven in my lap and she was purring like a kitten.'

Beast Boy blushed deeply and tried to suppress the feeling he had growing in his chest.

'What the hell are you trying to do to me? You're going to get me killed!' He screamed to the other parts of his mind.

One of the dishes on the drying rack became enveloped with a dark aura and exploded loudly, sending little pieces of dish shrapnel across the room. The loud noise startled the green cat in Beast Boy's lap and from it sprang a full-grown Raven. Her face was only half an inch away from his.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven purred deeply as she was scratched behind the ears. Not a care in the world, having a comfortable and warm place to sleep, and having someone pay attention to you was defiantly the life.

There was suddenly an almost deafening crack from somewhere behind her and Raven jumped. She could feel herself grow at an alarming speed as she jumped and the next thing she knew, she was face to face with Beast Boy. She was also sitting in his lap and she was now too stunned for words. It appeared Beast Boy was as well because he wore a thunderstruck expression that resembled that of a man who had just been told he had five minutes to live.

Raven was so close to him now. All she was able to see was his seemingly fathomless emerald eyes. There was something in them that she couldn't understand, it was something that she wasn't sure she wanted to understand but it was as if they had a pull on her.

She shut her eyes and quickly closed the distance between her and Beast Boy. Their lips met and Raven felt as though she was melting into him. She loved the feeling of his lips against hers and slowly put her arms around his neck. One of his arms found it's way around her back and Raven was snapped out of her trancelike stupor.

'What the hell am I doing?' She mentally cried.

Raven leapt off of Beast Boy and shot out of the common room like a green blur. She ran at breakneck speed straight for her room.

'I can't like Beast Boy that way! He's just a friend!'

She entered her room just as quickly as she had been moving down the hallway and hastily opened one of the drawers of her vanity. She drew an antique hand mirror out of it and was sucked in by a swirling black vortex the moment her eyes gazed upon the reflective surface.

She traveled through the dark vortex for a short time before she was deposited unceremoniously on the dusty ground. After picking herself up, she moved through the stone arch that was close by and was instantly transported to a bright field that was predominantly pink.

"Happy!" She screamed. "Get over here right now!"

She heard the usually bubbly emotion phase up through the ground behind her. She quickly spun around to give her a piece of her mind but stopped dead.

"Hi Rae!" Said an enthusiastic Beast Boy who was clad in pink.

* * *

Holy bejeeze! Did any of you see that coming? I actually had the second half of this chapter thought out before I even finished "Not Who You Think I Am". This was uber freaking long but I couldn't exactly finish before I did a little of the training. The first half of the chapter seems a little pointless to me but I wanted to get some interaction with the other characters in there. I find they just get in the way at times but hey, they still exist.

There was a lot of jumping going on in this chapter and I'm sorry if I muddled it up too much to make sense. If you guys find it a little too confusing, I may do a little rewrite to clear it up.

Sorry if Raven's training was a little short but that was the way I'd envisioned it long before chapter five was being written. I know some of you guys were looking forward to that but there will be a little more later on. I hope this will be enough to satiate you for the moment.

Four cans of Coke were brave enough to step forward to bring you this chapter. Half a bag of BBQ chips also did there part in developing this chapter.

I posted this chapter pretty quickly because my computer seems to be having problems with Microsoft Word. I'm a little scared that it may not be working for much longer. Are there any other word processors besides notepad that I could download from the internet? Preferably one that's free and legal?

As promised, here are the replies to the reviews. (I also edited all the goof ups I could see.) Thanks to all who reviewed!

FirefliesWish: Thanks for the info on Mumbo, I've gone back and edited accordingly. I was tempted to do something with the leotard ripping but that would just be a little too much. I thought Raven popping up in his lap would be good enough for a laugh of two. Is there any word on the date that season five airs? Thanks for reviewing.

Satu Simpson: Thank you very much.

Snea: Thanks. Sorry about the relative lack of fluff up to this point. I felt that I moved a little too quickly in my last story in that department so I opted to work on a bit more character development in this one. Fear not though, for I enjoy fluff as much as the next guy (probably more so) so there will be some on the romantic stuff in upcoming chapters. Thanks for the tip on anonymous reviews; I was unaware that I'd disabled them. Thanks for reviewing!

Silver-Night2: Thank you. I'm glad that my readers are so astute. I'm happy that no one asked the question during earlier chapters because I would have hated to give away the ending to chapter five. I will tell you how I think it's Beast Boy's mind though; the way I see it, Raven is bound to Nevermore through her gem and her mirror. Now that Beast Boy has the gem, Nevermore is his mind. Sorry if that's kind of a lame excuse but that's the way I see it. Thanks for reviewing.

BlackRoses4Raven: Thank for your kind comment and reviewing!

SxStrngSamurai13: Thank you very much. I try to keep things as realistic as I can and I'm glad you think this story is. I do plan to add some more of those fluffy and romantic moments in the future. Who knows? Maybe Beast Boy and Raven can even have one without being interrupted by the other Titans. Thanks for reviewing.

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thank you. I agree that Beast Boy's and Raven's powers are similar to one another's. That's why I thought Beast Boy would be able to pick up on Raven's so easily. I also agree with what you say about the demon side and the Beast and when I was first formulating this story, I had actually planned to have Raven have to deal with the Beast but I've come up with another idea. You'll find out in chapter six. I agree with what you say about Beast Boy's animal senses in a way. I think that they may be part of the reason he's so exuberant, but I think the bulk of it is the ever-present animal instinct he has to deal with. As you can see, Raven had a tough time dealing with the animal instinct, but I believe that she has a great deal of self control and can keep herself in a state of calm, more or less anyway. Thanks for reviewing.

N.C. PsyChick: Thanks. I glad that people have taken to it so well. I had a little bit of how I though Beast Boy transformed in my other story so I just used the same method here. Thanks for reviewing!

Masterdramon: Thank you very much. So long as people read the story, their sacrifice will not be in vain! Thanks for reviewing!

Loki14: Another one I'm glad wasn't suggested right in the beginning. Thanks for reviewing.

darktrique: Thanks. I thought there needed to be a cute little moment between the two since they were so rudely interrupted. I also wanted to so Raven expressing a little more emotion. Thanks for reviewing.

dancingirl3: Thank you very much.

Coeus: Thanks. I did decide to take this story a little more slowly when it came to character development and having them develop feelings for one another, but I'm glad people don't think I'm taking it too slowly. There will be some more of the romantic stuff coming up and there may even be some action in the next chapter (if not, it'll be in chapter seven). I'll admit that it feels like I rushed Beast Boy's acceptance of his empath pretty quickly, but I was afraid that the story might drag on and people would loose interest. I am updating pretty quickly but there's two reasons behind that: first, all the stories that I'm currently reading have ceased to update :( and second, I'm as eager to see what happens next as you are. Thanks for reviewing.

Iuz the Old: Thanks. I'll admit that I got the idea for skipping stones from my own ability… Lets just say that I'm less than professional at it… Thanks for reviewing!

AnimationWickedRaven: I'm glad you think so. Thanks for your review.

dinogirl694: Thank you.

dannyXsam-forever: Thanks. I'd love to see the picture if you decide to draw it.

Raven The Black Rose: Thank you. What fun would life be if we were all sane?

craZy18gurl: Thank you very much for your kind review.

Rika-Lynn: Thanks. True there moment was interrupted, but there are more to look forward to in the future. There will also be funniness. Thanks for reviewing.

Giligan: Thanks. I was toying with the idea of changing their names but I'm still not sure. Thanks for reviewing.

Ninjamonkey: Thank you very much.

Linkin-Park-Raven-Beast.Boy: Thanks. I found it hard to describe a sense that I didn't have and it brought me back to when I was in grade seven. We were reading the book "A Wrinkle in Time" and we were supposed to do a write up describing sight to the creatures with no eyes. I found it incredibly difficult at the time. I hope this seemed believable. Thanks for reviewing.

mudling: Thank you very much. I hoped you liked this chapter.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	6. In Chains

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer than the others but I had to completely reformat my computer.It turns out that the little problem with Microsoft Word was a big problem with everything. I was fortunate enough to have time to make backup discs of everything important though. Oh well, sometimes that's the way it goes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Six

Beast Boy sat on the couch of the common room, totally unmoved since Raven ran out. His eyes were staring straight forward completely unfocused. What had transpired moments before had swept all thought from his mind. He had expected Raven to yell at him for allowing her to curl up on his lap and for scratching her behind the ears like she was nothing more than a normal kitten, but she didn't say a word to him. The way she looked at him, the way she looked into his eyes was something he'd always remember. Her two dark violet orbs seemed to pierce into his soul from where she sat and a moment after that, she kissed him.

Did she though? Beast Boy had no idea what was going on, for all he knew, he could have kissed her! She was just so close; the way her eyes seemed to see right into him drew him in like they had before. She put her arms around his neck though… Didn't that mean she wanted to kiss him? It was so shortly lived though, because the moment he had enough sense in him to try and pull her closer, she ran.

'She ran from me…' He finally thought.

'Yea but she was the one who kissed you!' Part of his mind exclaimed.

'I'm not really sure if she did though.' He replied as he brought a hand to his still tingling lips.

'Look, she kissed you first. She put her arms around your neck first.' Another part of his mind reasoned.

Beast Boy shook his head violently.

"This is not the best time for me to be going schizophrenic."

He stood and walked out of the common room with the intent of speaking to Raven. He had no plan whatsoever nor did he have any idea what he was going to say to her, but he knew they needed to talk. He'd kept his feeling for her to himself for far too long. This was as good a time as any to tell her how he felt. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

As he neared her door, he saw that it was wide open. He looked inside but Raven was nowhere to be seen.

"Raven?"

His call received no reply and he took a cautious step into the room. He looked around the room to find it much as he did that morning. She had to be here though; she closed the door when she left her room that morning. A glint caught his eye as they passed by the floor near her vanity. There lay her antique mirror, the portal to her mind.

'Great.' Beast Boy sarcastically thought.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven stared wide-eyed at her friend's pale doppelganger. He was dressed in a jumpsuit very much like Beast Boy's, but was entirely pink as opposed to purple and black.

"So what's up Rae?" Happy asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at her inquisitively.

"I… I…" Raven mumbled.

She hadn't expected this. She was supposed to come into her mind through the mirror to straighten out her emotions, but now she was in Beast Boy's mind! The thought had never occurred to her that to mirror's portal would lead to his mind as well now. Why wouldn't it though? The gem that aided in the control of her powers was in his possession; the gem was what also connected her to her mirror.

"You look good in green." He stated after a moment of Raven's silence.

"When did this happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"This!" She said extending an arm to her surroundings.

"Oh, a couple of days ago I guess."

"Of course." She said more to herself than the emotion. "Whatever, call a meeting, I need to speak with all of Beast Boy's emotions."

Happy smiled and nodded. He placed a hand on Raven's shoulder and they both sank into the ground only to reemerge a moment later in a green field. A few white wisps of clouds lazily made their way across the bright blue sky. There was a huge oak tree in the middle of the field and beside it lay a large circle of boulders. There looked to be at least forty boulders all together but Raven didn't count them.

Raven made her way into the center of the rock circle and happy hopped up onto one of the rocks. He sat with his legs dangling and his heels kicking a tune on the gray stone. One by one, other emotions in differently colored jumpsuits phased into sitting positions on the boulders. There were so many different colors and shades that it seemed more like a color sample rack at a paint store than a meeting place. Each of the emotions greeted her as they arrived but she did little more than nod to acknowledge them.

When all but a few of the rocks had occupants, an emotion garbed in yellow stepped forward.

"What is it that you wish to speak to us about?" Knowledge asked.

"Well, this is something I should probably be asking Beast Boy himself but I came into the mirror to deal with _my own_ emotions. Since all of you make up Beast Boy, you should be able to answer as he would. Is everyone here?" She asked gesturing to the empty stones.

"All but some of the less social emotions. Fear, Denial, Sorrow, Laziness, Rage, and another." He withdrew his gaze from Raven before he said 'another'.

Raven lifted an eyebrow and studied Knowledge briefly. "Right, well what I wanted to ask was; what are Beast Boy's feelings towar-"

Raven was cut off by a terrifyingly loud and inhuman howl.

"What the hell was that?" She asked.

Bravery sighed. "Rage. We've been having problems keeping him under control for the past while."

"Is it safe if I see him?" Raven asked.

"Why would you want to see him? I'm all the Beast Boy you could ever want or need if you catch my drift." Said an emotion in a burgundy jumpsuit.

Bravery cuffed the emotion over the back of the head. "Cram it Cocky."

"I'm really sorry about that." Said an emotion that was clothed in sky blue. "He's always like that. I don't see why you couldn't go see him though."

"Kindness is correct, we could go there now if you like." Knowledge stated.

"Please." Replied Raven.

Knowledge gently placed his hand on her shoulder and they both sank into the dark green grass. Every emotion sank into the boulders they were sitting on in the same fashion.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy sat on the foot of Raven's bed and glanced at the mirror that lay on the floor. He'd been sitting there for more than fifteen minutes, waiting. His hopes of having Raven return soon were diminishing with each passing minute and the thought of entering her mirror crossed his mind again.

'I could try going in after her.' Her thought. 'Then again maybe not, she wasn't too happy the first time I went in there.'

What else could he do though? He was already in her room, chances are she'd already be angry with him for that, how much more trouble would he get in for going into her mind to talk to her? Even he knew how stupid that logic was. It was thinking like that that often got him into dire straights with Raven. He looked to the mirror on the floor again and made up his mind. Consequences be damned, he needed to talk to Raven now.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven and Knowledge moved toward a cliff in a barren and desert like area that had a crimson sky. She was close enough to see something green but it was still too far to determine what it really was. Another loud and blood chilling howl told her that this was the emotion she'd come to see. Raven heard something behind them and glanced over her shoulder to see most of the emotions she saw at the meeting were trailing her and Knowledge.

As Raven and the entourage of emotions got closer still, she could see that the green emotion was the Beast that Beast Boy had turned into when he fought Adonis. He was chained to the rough stone of the cliff with thick chains and had shackles attached to two points on each of his limbs, one around his mid section, and one around his neck. He was savagely fighting against his restraints but it was plain to see that they would not give way.

"That's the Beast." Raven said, a little shocked. "Why is it still in Beast Boy? Shouldn't it have transferred to me with his powers?"

"The Beast has nothing to do with his powers. It is simply a part of Beast Boy; it always has been, the chemicals just brought it out." Knowledge stated.

"We've been fighting to keep him in control ever since the incident with Adonis. Well, not exactly in this sense." Said Bravery, gesturing to his fellow emotions.

They all stopped about fifteen feet away from the chained emotions and Raven could see blood dripping from under the shackles.

"He's hurting himself." She said moving closer.

"Wait a second!" Warned Bravery.

Raven paid him no mind and continued to move closer to the snarling emotion. The Beast looked on all of the emotions with hate and fought as hard as he could against the cold steel. It did not give way though and more blood trickled out from under all of the shackles. The emotion was growing more enraged at the futility of his struggling and howled again.

Raven stopped about five feet away from him and spoke softly.

"You have to calm down. You'll hurt yourself if you don't."

The chained animal looked at her for a moment and stopped struggling, almost as though it were regarding her. The hulking muscle of the creature began to shrink and its restraints shrank along with it. In its place stood a Beast Boy clothed in red; Rage. As soon as the transformation was complete, he dropped to his knees and lowered his head. The chains held him from falling to the ground completely but it looked like he was holding himself up.

"Are you ok? It looks like those chains are hurting you." She said.

He didn't reply but he looked at her with tears streaming down his face. After a about a minute of his staring, Raven turned her head.

"You ran." Rage finally said.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy hit the dusty ground hard and rubbed his backside.

"Dude, I do not want to be here right now…" He said as he glanced at his surroundings.

"And why would that be?" Came a voice from behind.

Beast Boy quickly stood and turned to face the owner of the voice. He was face to face with him, or someone who looked exactly like him save for his jumpsuit that was a deep shade of purple.

"What the hell is going on here? Isn't this supposed to be Raven's mind?"

"It's supposed to be. But aren't you supposed to change into animals?" The purple emotions replied.

"So you're saying that this is my mind because me and Raven switched powers?"

"Yes." Was all the emotions said in reply.

"That must be why parts of my mind seem to have personalities of their own. I'm not going crazy!" He thought aloud. "So who or what are you then?"

"Love." He replied.

The pale Titan just stared dumbfounded at him.

"Don't look so surprised. You know you love Raven, why wouldn't you have an emotion in your mind the represented that?"

'I guess that makes sense. I do love Raven… Wait, that's why I came in here!' He thought.

"I'll take you to Raven and the others." Love said.

"How'd you-"

"I'm one of your emotions, I reside in you're mind. We all know what you're thinking."

Beast Boy sighed. "Fine."

:-:-:-:-:

'**Get free of these bindings. You must kill them for what they have done.'** Stated a deep and demonic voice.

The Beast struggled against the shackles even harder and blood began to flow from the wounds the shackles created. They were all there, all of those weak emotions. It took all of them to subdue him and imprison him in this desolate place.

**'These weaklings should not be in control here, you are the strong one, you should be the rightful ruler of this mind.'**

"You have to calm down. You'll hurt yourself if you don't." Raven stated.

The Beast hadn't seen her. He was too busy concentrating on the emotions that he despised so bitterly. He was Rage, and true to his name he hated most everything. Raven was someone he couldn't hate though. Despite everything he knew he wanted to kill and destroy, she held a special place in his heart. He wanted to be with her, to hold her, to protect her from everything.

'**She is weak! You must kill her, tear her apart. She's so close, you could grab her if you tried.'** The voice screamed.

'No! I don't want to hurt her!'

**'Is that because you think you love her? Love is weakness! She despises you and you must kill her for it!'**

'I will not harm her! Nothing you say or do will change that!' Rage fought against the voice.

The seven foot tall animal shrank before the green Titan. He fell to his knees and his head bobbed forward but was brought roughly to a stop as the shackle around his neck reached the end of it's slack. The slow flow of blood still seeped out from under the shackles but was hidden by the dark red of his clothing.

"Are you ok? It looks like those chains are hurting you." She said as she took another step toward him.

'**She is trying to trick you. She wants to hurt you just like the others. Do not fall for her trickery!'** The accursed voice bellowed.

'She's Raven, she wouldn't hurt me.'

'**Is that what you believe? Look at her! She doesn't care for you!'**

'Get out of my head! I don't want to listen to you anymore!' Rage internally screamed.

'**You don't _want_ to listen to me anymore? That's just too bad now isn't it? I am going to be with you forever, and when you take over this pathetic mind, I will be in control.'**

'I'm not going to let that happen.'

'**I told you to look at her! Do it!'**

Rage lifted his gaze to meet Raven. It wasn't the Raven he'd always known but it was still her. She had a look of concern and sadness on her face. Why was she sad?

'She's sad for me. She does care for me.'

'**If she cares so much for you, why did she run away?'** The voice asked with a malicious tone.

Rage had not removed his eyes from Raven since he raised his head and she finally turned away.

"You ran." He sadly stated.

At this, every emotions attention was fully gained. They listened intently for Raven's reply, for they were all interested to hear her answer. Raven was taken aback for a moment at his statement.

"Yes." She replied only looking at the ground in front of her feet. "I did run and I'm sorry."

"Why?" The emotion asked.

"I was afraid. I'm experiencing all these knew emotions and I'm not sure how to deal with them. I'm beginning to develop emotions for Beast Boy but I don't know how or if I should deal with them."

Beast Boy. He was a despicable and loathsome creature. He was weak. Only the strong survived in the world and Beast Boy wasn't strong. The Beast hated him so much because he was bound this frail individual and Rage felt his hate for him was justified. Whatever fate this weakling suffered, so did the Beast. It was ironic that the strong should have to depend on the weak and it was even more ironic that Raven, the one he loved, only felt for this weaker creature.

"What kind of emotions are you developing for _Beast Boy_?" Rage spat 'Beast Boy' out as though the words were poison.

"I don't know." She admitted. "It may be love but I really don't know. I've never really been in love before; I thought I was with Malchior but…"

Every emotion stiffened at the mention of the dragon that had betrayed her. Rage looked at her for a moment then began to struggle against his chains again.

'That bastard! I'll kill him for what he did to her!'

The chains still held fast and Rage let out an angered yell. Raven took a step closer and placed her hand on the struggling emotions shoulder. He stopped moving immediately and looked into her eyes.

"Please stop fighting. You're only hurting yourself." She said. "I don't know what I feel for Beast Boy but I don't want any part of him in pain. That includes you."

'**Lies! She doesn't love you! She loves _him_.'**

He continued to look into her eyes and for a brief second, there was a kind of understanding that passed between them. She to a final step forward and hugged him. He returned her hug with his chained arms.

All the other emotions stood in total shock as they saw what was happening front of them. Bravery's teeth were clenched and he was about to take a step forward when a yellow arm shot out to bar his path.

"Let it be Bravery." Knowledge said.

"But what if he hurts her?"

"They are fine for the moment. Your attempt to take her away would only endanger her."

Bravery mumbled something under his breath but stayed where he was.

'You see? She does care for me.' Rage thought as he continued to hold Raven.

**'And you believe her? She does not care for you. She is only doing this because she does not want you to gain control of Beast Boy's mind. He is the one she cares for.'**

"Raven?"

Rage looked in the direction of the voice and his arms dropped to his sides. It was _him_, the pathetic creature that held the heart of the one that should be his! Rage let out a cry of anguish and began to pull against his chains with an intensity he had yet shown. In his anger, he began to transform into the Beast. Muscles rippled under the dark red suit and talons sprang from where his fingernails once were.

"Get away from him Rae!" Beast Boy called out.

**'You must kill them all. I am your master now and you must do what I bid you to do.'**

The now fully transformed Beast tugged hard on his arm restraints and rent the chains of his right arm from the stone of the cliff. The chains lashed toward Raven with such speed and force that they made a whistling sound as they flew through the air.

Raven screamed.

:-:-:-:-:

"Get away from him Rae!"

Beast Boy heard the chains tear away from the wall and saw them move along their path to Raven. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion; many of his emotions had begun to move forward but their steps seemed impossibly slow. Not even the lead emotion in dark green would be able to get to her in time.

He closed his eyes and saw the chains stopping dead in the air and cried out with all the force in his lungs.

"AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

The twin chains stopped mere inches away from Raven's face, glowing with black energy.

Raven stared at the chains but was quickly pulled away by no less than three emotions. Beast Boy looked about him again and time seemed to resume normality. As if all on cue, the rest of the emotions moved forward to hold the Beast in place. His massive arm swung out and knocked five of the differently colored Beast Boys down.

The emotions deposited Raven next to Beast Boy and left to assist their counterparts.

"Are you ok Raven?" He asked, concern audible in his voice.

Raven shook her shock off. "Uh, yea. I think so."

"It's not safe here, we have to go." As soon as Beast Boy finished his sentence, the Titan's alarm on his belt went off.

The emotion in purple created a door to another area of Beast Boy's mind out of thin air. "The portal is through this door. We can handle Rage ourselves but you're needed."

"Thanks." Beast Boy said to the emotion before turning to Raven. "Lets go."

* * *

Thank you all for waiting patiently (or impatiently) for this chapter. While I was reformatting and waiting for things to install, I actually picked up a pen and a pad of paper to get this chapter out. Meh, I should be sticking to my two or three day update schedule now. 

So who was the evil voice talking to Rage? Ok ok! So you all know who it is… I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist.

As for the amount of Coca Cola consumed to bring this chapter, I'm going to include the amount that was required to do the formatting as well. There were six cans one 2-Litre bottle sacrificed to my gut to get it all done and this is the result. And for the record, I HATE REFORMATTING!

And here are the replies!

craZy18gurl: Thank you very much. I'm glad other people like the little fluffy cute stuff I do. I read the two chapters of your story so far and I like it. Thanks for reviewing.

dancingirl3: Thanks. I'm happy you enjoyed it.

Snea: Well thank you. I know that I love leaving people at cliffhangers like that far too much. I'm sorry that you're chair is broken and I hope the story induced jumping didn't do it but if it did, I hope the chair wasn't too expensive. Thanks for reviewing.

oranfly: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

akiismarina: Thanks.

lol61188: Thank you very much. I'm glad people like the twist.

BrianDarksoul: Thank you. I'm sorry this update took so long but I'll be back on my normal schedule from now on. Thanks for reviewing.

Phantom Moon: Thank you muchly.

pureangel86: There wasn't a great deal of meaningful interaction between Raven and the emotions, but I thought there was enough for what was needed. Sorry she didn't get to have a one on one with love but that may come in the future. Thanks for reviewing.

Drow Judicator: That would have been pretty funny but I was going for a more "moment" sorta deal. I wasn't really thinking about color coordination but the emotions are pale like Beast Boy now.

darkdemon3592: Thank you. I tried to explain how Beast Boy was able to use the powers so readily by saying his powers required a great deal of visualization like Raven's. Sorry of that was unclear. Thanks for reviewing.

OveractiveMind: Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it. I also remember Animorphs, it does seem very similar to Beast Boy's powers. Thanks for reviewing.

Glean-Glean: You are not alone! Coca Cola is my writing fuel! Thanks for reviewing.

SxStrngSamurai13: Thanks. I do my best to keep everyone in character and Robin just seems like a good guy. It is unfortunate that I lack a scanner but I'd be overjoyed if anyone else would like to take a crack at some fan art. Thanks for reviewing.

Weirdo: Thank you. I hope this chapter answered your question. Thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the story.

DragonGirl: I hope you like how this chapter turned out.

ninjamonkey: Thanks.

N.C. PsyChick: Thanks. Yea, poor Beast Boy, at least he got to be a hero in the end of this chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

Satu Simpson: I did it all for the love of the shippers! Thank you.

Lydja-chan: I happy I could spread some of my crazy Canadianism to my fellow fanfic readers. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for your review.

Tammy Tamborine: Thank you.

darktrique: Thank you very much.

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thank you very much. I agree with what you say about all the Titans and their situations. Thanks for reviewing.

warprince2000: Thanks for reviewing.

doc-trigger: Thank you very much. I hope you liked this chapter.

Lilagirl: Thanks for reviewing. I hoped you liked this chapter as much as the last.

AnimationWickedRaven: I'm glad that you liked the twist.

BlackRoses4Raven: I'm happy that you and your friends liked it. Thanks for reviewing.

iforgetmyname: Thank you. I'm not sure what Raven's going to change into next but it should be worth a laugh.

the Desert Fox: Thank you very much.

Necro: Thanks. I try not to just ditch the other characters but sometimes it feels like I'm doing that. Thank you for reviewing.

wolf of raven: Thanks.

i'minaband(onmars): I live on the west coast so it's pretty warm in comparison to the east. Not the army of flying cows! Thanks for reviewing.

PhoenixClaw: Thank you. I'm glad you liked that chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.


	7. Walk It Off

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Ok, so this story has been a little dry on the action end of the spectrum but this chapter will remedy that! I thought I'd go with an enemy that hasn't been used to death in other fics but then again, he isn't uber original so don't hold your breath.

I'd also like to make an apology to whoever took offense to my calling Mumbo a lame enemy; call me old fashioned but I like the classic villains who shroud themselves in shadow and mystery. Slade is my personal favorite because he's just so evil but he also has this kind of traditional class to him. He also has desires and goals set in his mind, I have no idea what motives drive Mumbo. It's his unpredictability that just throws me.

Having said that, here's the stander 'Please don't sue me'.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Seven

Both Beast Boy and Raven arrived in the common room in a hurry. The others were already there and Robin was talking to a man in uniform on the main screen. The man's breathing was ragged and it looked like he'd taken shelter by crouching beside a car. Screaming and blaster fire could be heard in the background and the man holding the communicator leaned over the car he was crouched behind to fire a few shots from his handgun.

"We need your help!" Came his hurried voice over the speakers. "We were transporting Plasmus to a pharmaceutical facility to try an experimental medication for his condition. Something happened though and he woke up, the sedatives did nothing and now he's broken free!"

"Where are you and what's the situation with civilians?" Robin asked.

Another scream that was accompanied by a loud smashing noise was heard and the man paused to fire another few shots.

"We're in the middle of the Jump River Bridge. Civilians are running but there are still a lot of them, I'd say at least a hundred. Plasmus has smashed a lot of vehicles around and some of them have been trapped." He paused to fire again and ducked as a blob of sludge hit the car he took refuge behind. "My men are doing their best to evacuate everyone but most of the squad has been wiped out."

"Don't worry, we're on our way."

"Please Hurry." Said the man as he shut off his communicator.

Robin turned to the others. "Titans Go!"

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy rode in the front passenger seat of the T-Car while Raven sat in the back. Cyborg, was of course, driving and Starfire had taken to flight. Robin was on his R-Cycle but had been talking to both Beast Boy and Raven.

"Do you think you guys are ready for this? I know you haven't had very long to train so if you have any doubts, just say so now."

"We're not ready to fight Plasmus with you right now." Said Beast Boy. "We can help get people to safety though. There are too many for you guys to deal with along with fighting."

Robin took a few seconds to respond but he sighed when he did. "Alright, but I want both of you to be careful."

Beast Boy turned in his seat to look at Raven. She was slumped down in her seat a little and was looking at her hands that were folded in her lap. There was some kind of emotion that was coming off of her that he couldn't quite identify. It felt a little cold and a kind of bitter, pressing feeling. What was it supposed to mean? Judging by her demeanor, it could be a sort of foreboding dread.

'She doesn't look so good. Is she worried about what's coming up?' He thought.

"Don't worry Rae, we may not be able to do much but I'm sure we'll help them some how." He said and gave her a small smile.

Raven looked up at him but said nothing. They were fast approaching their objective and would be there shortly. They could see that traffic ahead had stopped, and some people were even getting out of their cars to get away on foot.

"If you need to transform into anything just remember, you are the one in control, not the animal."

Raven still said nothing but nodded.

"Ok team, we're almost there. Our main objective is the keep the people safe. That means we'll either have to occupy or subdue Plasmus. Our secondary objective is to stop Plasmus but this doesn't take precedence over everyone's safety. I want Beast Boy and Raven only to help evacuate people. Stay as far away from Plasmus as possible." Said Robin as he got to the beginning of the bridge.

"Ok." They both replied simultaneously in an eerily similar monotone.

:-:-:-:-:

"Where are the trapped people?" Robin asked as he crouched next to the guard who'd contacted them.

"Past that overturned semi. One of the support cables was knocked out when he threw a car into it and a lot of the bridge decking was pulled off when it fell away." He said. "There's a big mess of vehicles past the semi so I doubt many people were able to get out that way."

"Where are the rest of the guards?"

"There were twelve of us in all, I'm the captain of the squad. Last I saw, the ones who weren't distracting Plasmus were trying to move people away from the hole in the decking. The others didn't last long against him…" He finished with anguish in his voice.

"We'll stop him." Robin reassured him. "Cyborg, Starfire, I want you to hit Plasmus with everything you've got. Try and draw him this way if you can but do whatever it takes to keep him on this side of the semi."

Cyborg and Starfire set off immediately to distracting the hulking mass of sludge. Starfire flew circles around him and continually threw starbolts while Cyborg fired a quick series of shots from his sonic cannon.

Robin turned to both Raven and Beast Boy. "We'll do our best to keep him away from you but you'll have to slip by him quickly. Try and clear an exit through on other side."

They both nodded and Robin leapt over the hood of the car to join his friends in stopping their enemy.

"Ok Rae, when I give the signal, we're going to have to bolt." Said Beast Boy.

Raven gulped.

'How can he be so confident? We barely have use of our powers and he's still ready to run out and defend the city. Well, I barely have use of my powers, he's actually doing pretty well. I just hope we don't screw this up…' Raven thought.

Plasmus was fighting very violently. He seemed to be confused and angry and it was as if that fueled his strength. He was smashing cars all around and threw them at the Titans. All of their attacks were doing very little, but they did have his attention.

Robin hurled some freezing discs at the gigantic monstrosity's feet and froze it in place. That was it, the second they needed to run by.

"Now!" Shouted Beast Boy as he ran around the car.

Raven hesitantly followed but did her best to keep up with Beast Boy. It looked like they were going to make it, they were only twenty feet from the end of the flipped semi truck. Plasmus let out a shriek and broke out of his frozen bindings to knock Robin to the ground with a blast of sludge. Starfire quickly rushed to aid him but continued to throw starbolts as Cyborg hit him from the other side.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief as the past the end of the truck and looked over to the literal pile of cars on the other side of it. It looked as though the semi had been knocked over and pushed for a distance, piling cars up the whole way. There was a group of around fifteen people huddled near the edge of a gaping hole that must have been the result of a support cable tearing away. The pile of cars trapped them, but if they could clear some of them away, it would be easy to get them away without passing Plasmus.

They got to the group of people and Beast Boy began to reassure them.

"We're going to get you out of here, we just need you to stay calm. Where is everyone else?"

A man with a facemask and guard uniform stood up. Part of his suit was torn and his arm was bleeding pretty badly but he spoke.

"We were part of a large group, about sixty or so but they got away. There were two guards with them so I'm sure they made it to the other side of the bridge by now." He said. "Then that damn thing knocked the truck over here and cut us off."

Beast Boy looked around for an escape route but found nothing.

"What's the plan Raven?"

'How am I supposed to know? Crap. We need to clear a path in those cars… Maybe he can do it.'

"Do you think you can try and move some of those cars out of the way? That's really all I can see right now…" She said.

"I'll try."

:-:-:-:-:

'How are we supposed to get these people out of here?' Beast Boy thought as he looked around for an exit.

"What's the plan Raven?" He asked.

Raven looked at him for a moment then back past the group of people.

"Do you think you can try and move some of those cars out of the way?" She said, pointing to the mass of vehicles that spanned across the width of the bridge. "That's really all I can see right now…"

'Moving a bunch of cars? Sliding a dish is one thing, but these things are huge! What other option do we have though?'

"I'll try." He said.

Beast Boy thought of what he wanted the cars to do. He imagined all of them gently lifting off of the ground and moving out of the way to the far side of the bridge. There would be a clear path wide enough for a truck to drive through if this worked.

"Stand clear." Raven told the group.

The people who were close to the pile of cars squeezed over. Some who were already precariously close to the hole in the bridge were moved even closer.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos." Said Beast Boy as he directed his arms towards the wall of vehicles.

Beast Boy opened his eyes and saw six cars slowly floating over to the other side of the bridge. He felt a little weird though, like there was a vibration or a sort of buzz coming from inside him. It wasn't really painful but he was sure he'd feel a little sore later on. The cars were almost where he'd planned to deposit them and he allowed himself a slight smile in triumph.

'We're going to get them out of here!' He thought.

His thoughts were cut short though as he heard a shrill cry from Plasmus and watched as Cyborg sailed overhead to the far end of the bridge. Beast Boy could hear Starfire throw a barrage of starbolts and felt the bridge shake as Plasmus drew closer.

"Incoming!" Shouted Robin in warning but was drowned out as Plasmus brought one of his massive arms down and knocked the semi clear off the bridge.

The semi hurtled through the remaining pile of cars and broke two support cables on the other side of the bridge. The bridge decking shook violently and some people in the group screamed in fear. There was an exit for them now though; they had to start moving if they expected to get away alive.

"Get moving!" Raven ordered.

Many of the people did as they were told but some seemed to be frozen with fear. The injured guard was trying to move some of these people but they wouldn't budge. The green Titan moved to assist him and managed to get one person moving.

Plasmus took several steps in the remainder of the groups direction but Starfire let out a loud yell and knocked the sludgy beast down by flying into him. This didn't make him happy in the least and he pulled Starfire from his chest with his two massive hands. He slammed her to the ground hard and pulled back to do it again but was momentarily stopped.

Robin threw another of his explosive discs into Plasmus' back. It managed to stop him for a second but he then continued to hammer Starfire into the pavement of the bridge. After having enough of smashing Starfire to the ground, Plasmus threw her back into the car where they had met the guard captain.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out.

'Damn! There's got to be something I can do to help!' Beast Boy franticly thought.

He focused on one of the smashed cars and thrust his arms forward.

"Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!" He shouted, throwing the car into Plasmus.

The sludgy monster ripped the car from its back and let out a terrifying scream. It threw the car down to the surface of the bridge shaking everyone on it. One of the people who had been too scared to move, a little girl, had been shaken enough to fall from her perch on the ground close to the hole. She let out a scream as she fell.

Plasmus charged at Starfire's unconscious from and Robin hesitated for a fraction of a second. Starfire was in danger, so was a citizen of Jump City though. Who was he supposed to save? He loved Starfire but he couldn't just let a little girl fall to her death because he valued Starfire's life over hers.

Beast Boy saw what Robin was about to do and knew that he couldn't let him.

"Get Star!" He shouted loudly. "I've got the girl!"

With that, Beast Boy leapt headfirst through the gaping hole in the bridge after the screaming little girl.

:-:-:-:-:

Plasmus advanced on the few people who were too terrified to move and Raven pulled another person up with the help of the guard. There were still five people who weren't moving and it seemed that Plasmus would be on top of them in seconds.

Starfire let out a mighty yell and slammed into the slimy menace before it made it to the terrified people. Though she managed to knock it to the ground, it quickly recovered and was angrier than before. He retaliated by bashing the Tameranian into the ground repeatedly.

'She'll be killed!' Raven cried internally.

Robin threw a number of explosive discs at the enemy that was so brutally hurting his teammate but they did little, if anything. After bringing Starfire hard to the ground a few more times, Plasmus hurled her into a car.

"Starfire!" Their masked leader screamed.

"Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!" Raven heard come from behind her.

A wrecked car shot over her head and roughly embedded itself into Plasmus. The creature let out a deafening howl and tore the car out of it's back and slammed it to the ground. Raven fell along with the guard and the person they were trying to move. She then heard a shrill cry of fear and had just enough time to see a little girl fall over the edge of the hole.

Plasmus charged toward Starfire and Robin looked between the hole and his auburn haired crush.

"Get Star! I've got the girl!" Shouted Beast Boy as he ran for the opening in the bridge surface.

Robin didn't hesitate for a second longer and thrust himself into the path of Plasmus as Beast Boy dove through the hole.

"Beast Boy!" Raven cried.

'The fall will kill him!'

Robin hurled a hand full of freezing discs at the charging attacker but Plasmus stopped them with one of his arms. He continued straight on and knocked Robin out of the way with his now frozen arm and moved further down his path to the unconscious Titan.

Robin grunted as he hit the ground and looked on in despair as this normally easily dealt with opponent headed directly for Starfire. He tried to get up but all his breath had been knocked out of him when he hit the ground.

Raven looked on in horror as one of her closest friends was about to be killed at the hands of an abomination she could have dispatched of herself a few short days ago.

'I'm so sorry Starfire…'

Raven's thoughts were disrupted as she heard blaster fire and someone shouting.

"Come over here you slimy bastard!" Shouted the guard captain as he fired another quick salvo of shots from his pistol into Plasmus' face.

The guard captain was running past Plasmus and was firing all the while. He had managed to get his attention and now Starfire was no longer his objective. He continued to run and fire past Plasmus and landed a few hits on his frozen arm, shattering it. A cry of pain escaped the monsters lips and he blindly thrust a blob of sludge toward the guard. It struck him and pinned him to the ground.

"Hit him now Rob!" Came Cyborg's booming voice from the top of the pile of cars.

Robin used the last of the freezing discs he had and since he was behind Plasmus, managed to hit him dead on with all of them. The ice quickly formed over all of the muck and sludge until he was completely frozen. Cyborg brought his sonic cannon to bear and fired.

"Booya!" He triumphantly called out as Plasmus shattered leaving behind the unconscious from of a small man.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy leapt through the hole in the bridge after the girl. She'd fallen before him so she was a few feet below him. He needed to catch up, needed to gain speed. He pulled his arms close to his sides and angled himself for less wind resistance. He was gaining but slowly.

The girl was still screaming and had her eyes tightly shut.

"Hang on!" Beast Boy called to her as he drew ever closer. "I've almost got you!"

Beast Boy finally wrapped his arms around her and her screaming ceased. He instinctively thought of a pterodactyl and focused on taking that form. Still he plummeted.

'Shit!' He thought. 'Right, focus on stopping, focus on stopping!"

He curled his body in such a way that his back faced the surface of the water, hoping to protect her if he couldn't stop them. He focused on the thought of coming to a gentle stop above the water, to then slowly rise up the edge of the bridge.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

'It's gonna work!' He thought as he felt his descent slow.

Though their rapid descent was slowing, they were still approaching the water at an alarming speed. Beast Boy knew that he wouldn't be able to stop before they hit the water so he focused on using their momentum to swing outwards. He'd done it countless times as a bird, just diving straight down and using his speed to pull up and outward.

He did his best to focus on pushing himself outward but it was difficult to keep the thought in mind as he drew closer to the water below.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

Beast Boy didn't feel anything change and he quickly called out the magic words again.

"Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

A burst of dark energy thrust Beast Boy and the girl outward and the pale Titan's back hit the water hard only to bounce off. They quickly swung back into the air and began their ascent towards the bridge.

Cyborg's jubilant shout of triumph informed them that the battle was over and Beast Boy saw the aftermath of the fight. Robin was by Starfire's side and Cyborg was moving an unconscious man who Beast Boy recognized as the sleeping Plasmus. Raven and the injured guard were helping the guard captain out of a pile of ooze. It looked like the rest of the people had run but there was a blonde haired woman looking down the hole that Beast Boy had leapt down a short while ago.

As he set foot down on the bridge, the little girl ran from him toward the blonde woman.

"Mommy!" She cried.

The woman looked up and the pained look she wore left immediately.

"Stephanie!" She happily exclaimed. "You're alright!"

:-:-:-:-:

Robin rushed to Starfire and gently slid his hand under her head. She was really banged up and was bleeding, but nothing looked broken.

"You're going to be ok Star, just hang on."

Raven and the guard who'd been helping her move people pulled his captain out of a pile of slime that had once been Plasmus. He was stunned and looked like he had a slight concussion, but was otherwise fine.

"Mommy!"

Raven turned to see the source of the sound and saw the little blonde girl who had fallen running toward her mother. Beast Boy stood by the edge of the bridge and watched emotionlessly as the girl ran.

A wave of relief washed over Raven as she saw him. She'd thought he'd leapt to his death when he went after the girl. She knew he was brave but she'd never expected him to do something like that when he was still learning to use his powers.

"Stephanie! You're alright!"

The woman hugged her daughter tightly and picked her up. She walked over to Beast Boy, placed her daughter on the ground, and stood before him.

"There's no way I could ever thank you enough for what you've done. You could have died but you saved my daughters life. Thank you so much." She said then hugged him.

Beast Boy flinched for a moment but smiled a little and patted her on the back lightly.

"It's ok. I'm a Titan and that's what we do."

The woman thanked him again and left. Raven began to slowly walk toward him but found that her speed was steadily increasing as she neared him. When she got to him, she threw her arms around him and hugged him with all the strength she could muster. How could she have not noticed how she felt for Beast Boy before now? Did he really have to almost die before she could realize how important he was to her?

"Don't ever do that again…" Came her muffled voice from his shoulder.

Beast Boy gently wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm fine Raven, really."

Raven wasn't really listening to him, she was too enthralled with just holding him close. She just wanted to stay with him right now, just to know that she wouldn't loose him. After what seemed like a short time, through Raven was sure at least five minutes had past, Robin called them.

"Beast Boy, do you know how to heal yet? Star was injured pretty badly…"

Raven let go of Beast Boy and just looked at him for a moment.

'He wasn't able to get the healing powers working… He might be able to do it…' She thought.

Beast Boy looked right back at her and gave her and understanding nod.

"I'll see what I can do." He said as he knelt next to Starfire.

Raven saw the back of his jumpsuit was torn across the shoulders and most of his back was exposed. It was covered in a deep red rash and she could see bruising was starting. Had he hit the water?

:-:-:-:-:

'Ok… Feel the energy inside me… Soft blue glow spreading to my hands…' Beast Boy thought.

He opened his eyes with surprise as he actually felt a tingling in his fingers. His hands were glowing softly so he placed them above Starfire. He imagined all of her wounds closing and all of her bruises vanishing. As his hands passed over her, the wounds did disappear but a pain in the core of his body began to become prevalent. He continued on though and before he knew it, Starfire was completely healed.

"So… That's it?" Robin asked.

Starfire moaned and brought her hand to her head.

"We were victorious, yes?"

"Yea." Stated Robin. "Beast Boy had to heal you though."

Starfire looked up at all her friends who were standing around her and looked to Beast Boy. She squealed something happily and hugged Beast Boy. He visibly flinched but closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He was in a great deal of pain since he healed Starfire, and now she had him in one of her patented death grip hugs. It wasn't a good combination.

"Not a problem Star." He breathed through his clenched teeth.

Raven saw what was going on and quickly pried Starfire off of Beast Boy. Everyone but Beast Boy, who still had his eyes closed, gave her an odd look.

"It looks like he hurt his back." She said, happy to find an excuse that wasn't totally a lie.

Before anyone could respond to her odd behavior though, the guard captain tapped Robin on the shoulder.

"Three more detachments of guards have arrived to transport Plasmus to the pharmaceutical facility. Thank you for your help. I, the rest of my companions, and the city are again in your debt." He said.

"There's no need for thanks." Robin truthfully said. "Were it not for you and your men, a lot of people could have been hurt. A member of my team would have died were it not for your actions. Thank you."

Robin shook the man's hand and turned back to his team.

"So who's up for pizza?"

* * *

Phewph! How about that? Enough action? I was hopping for a situation for Beast Boy to get his hero on and I'm pretty happy with it. I also thought it would be cool to use some of Jump City's finest in this chapter. Come on, they're almost always there to fight the big bad when it comes around. The usually end up cannon fodder but I thought the guard captain could do something heroic. 

I required three cans of Coca Cola to produce this chapter and I think they made for a good sacrifice. A computer speaker died vailiantly serving me though, I do have some spares so it wasn't a problem. I think the song that finished her off was Way Away by Yellowcard. (At least it wasn't a crappy song that did her in.)

Review time! I've just noticed the huge number of reviews this story has received… There's over one hundred! Hell, there's over a hundred and fifty! This calls for a celebratory can of Coke! You guys are the most awesome readers ever!

Green Tears: Thank you very much!

WickedWitchoftheSE: Thanks. I was going for a little of a "jerk at you heartstrings" deal so I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your review.

Lilagirl: Thanks. Rage is kind of weird but he does have to deal with his Beast side and the influence of (Dun dun dun!) Trigon. Thanks for reviewing.

SxStrngSamurai13: Thank you. I haven't seen "Nevermore" for a long time but I do remember that she only had a few emotions (only a couple joined with her to form white cloak Raven right?). I figured since Beast Boy is so emotional, he would have a greater number of them. Sorry about the fight in this chapter though, Raven didn't really get her moment in the spotlight. That will change in later chapters though! Thanks for your kind review.

Glean-Glean: Thanks. I required every last drop of that Coke to keep going while reformatting and writing. In the future, I'll have my younger brother be the disc monkey and install everything.

mudling: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for your kind review!

Tammy Tamborine: Thank you very much!

phoenix: Thanks. I'm glad you thought the twist was good.

Silver-Night2: Thanks. I'm glad you like my take on Beast Boy's Rage. I sorta figured the Beast was a good candidate because he seemed to go Beast when he got angry (Beast Within). Thanks for your kind review.

PinkRavenRules: Thank you very much.

craZy18gurl: Thank you. As you probably know by now, I'm a sucker for the fluff. I just couldn't resist! Thanks for reviewing.

warprince2000: Thank you very much.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thank you very much, I'm glad you like the story.

Iuz the Old: Thank you very much.

Beast Boy 4ever: It makes me very happy to know that there are some people out there who are waiting impatiently for me to update. I can just imagine someone hopping in their chair, "Hurry up Ubu! Where's the next chapter already?" Another one of those things that puts a stupid smile on my face. Thanks for reviewing.

starmay: Thank you very much.

iamhollywood: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reviewing.

HAPPILI INSANE: Amen! Praise to Coca Cola and you for your review!

Flamma: Thank you very much! It may just be me, but when I read that someone thinks my story is perfect, I get speechless. I hope this chapter and those that follow it are also to your liking. Thank you for your kind review.

Phoenix Wand: Sorry about that. I made a little apology for that above but I should be ragging on anyone's favorite villain. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Again, sorry for ragging on Mumbo and thanks for reviewing.

BlackRoses4Raven: Thank you very much!

pureangel86: Thank you very much!

Necro: Thank you. Up to this point, I've been focusing on Beast Boy's new powers but I will be shifting over to Raven's shortly. Thanks for your kind review.

Titanwolf: Thank you very much!

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the Rage part, I had a great time writing it. I do plan to have Beast Boy and Rage have a heart to heart about their… "Relationship" with one another. Sorry to disappoint you with my choice of villain but the Hive seem so overused as enemies in fanfics. You had a very original idea with Dr. Light though, the thought had never occurred to me. I like how he could be used given his past experience with Raven, is it all right if I use that in upcoming chapters? Thank you very much for your review.

L.O.D.: Thanks. I agree that he is underrated! We do need an episode where he has a little more seriousness. There's rumor that there will be some stuff with the Doom Patrol in season five. There should be some good Beast Boy related episode that can come from that. Thanks for your kind review!

PhoenixClaw: Thank you very much. There will be further interaction with Beast Boy's emotions in later chapters as well as the situation with Trigon. Thanks for reviewing. P.S. How many other fanfic writers have just added "Trigon" to the dictionary in MS Word? My mother was writing something and I heard her say "What's a Trigon?" I'd burst out laughing and she thought I went crazy!

Yuka Kitsune: Thank you very much!

Satu Simpson: Hurra for the BBxRae Shippers! Someone should design an official badge for all the shippers of this awesome pairing… Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

N.C. PsyChick: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter a much as you did the last.

ravenlogan112004: Thank you very much!

Ashaton Saotome: Thanks. I'm not really sure how I'm going to end this story so until then, you know about as much as I do for how it will play out. I can see a sequel in the future for this story though. Thanks for reviewing!

Giligan: Thank you very much!

BrokenNevermore: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy the story and fluff as I do. Thanks for reviewing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story!


	8. Sore Back

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

The first half of this chapter may be a little weird. I just donated blood for the first time and I'm feeling a little funny so it may show in my writing. In Canada, blood donation is exactly that, donating your blood. And why not? There's a growing need for blood (in Canada anyway). Your body replaces the half litre that's taken in about sixty days. I'm not sure how blood collection works where you live but I urge you donate if you are of age. You never know when it might be _you_ who needs it.

Thanks for reading that little rant, I know that many of you may not be permitted to donate due to age restrictions so you can just ignore that.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Eight

Beast Boy laid face up across the back seat of the T-Car as it made it's way through traffic to the pizza place. He usually sat up front but right now his entire body ached. What had started out as an intense pain in the core of his body had quickly spread all over. The fact that he hit the water with enough force to tear the back of his jumpsuit and cause a great deal of bruising didn't help his situation any either.

'Is this what Raven had to deal with every time she had to heal something big? She never let any pain show when she did…' Beast Boy thought.

His thoughts were cut short as the T-Car came to a sudden stop at a red light. Beast Boy clenched his teeth tighter than he already had them and inhaled a sharp breath.

"You must have hit the water pretty hard." Said Cyborg as he looked over his shoulder at the pale Titan.

"Yea, pretty hard." Beast Boy breathed.

Raven looked over into the back seat. Concern dominated her features as she overlooked Beast Boy. A mix of warm and cool hit Beast Boy. He knew it was just Raven's emotions but it felt kind of good. Not just to know that she was concerned for him, but just the feeling on his skin. It wasn't overpowering but it did displace some of the pain that was prevalent throughout his body.

He looked into her eyes and did his best to rid his face of any pained expression and gave her a weak smile.

The car started to move again and the slight lurch brought another wave of pain.

"If you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to take a little nap back here. I'm not all that hungry right now but I'd appreciate it if you saved me a slice or two." Said Beast Boy through clenched teeth.

It wasn't a total lie. It would have been the truth had he replaced 'take a little nap' with 'pass out from pain'. At least he'd be out of pain if he were unconscious.

"Is it that bad?" Asked Cyborg. "We should probably take you to the medical bay if your back's really bugging you."

"No. It's ok. Using these new powers just really took it out of me. I moved a bunch of cars, threw one at Plasmus, and flew for a while. I don't know how Raven does it." He finished giving her a slight wink before he closed his eyes again.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy grunted slightly as the T-Car began to move again.

Raven could tell he was in a great deal of pain, he had to be. Starfire was beaten very badly so now Beast Boy would feel exactly what she felt and then some because of his upper back injury. Starfire was tough, she was probably the toughest of all the Titans but even Raven was amazed that she'd managed to get out of that beating without broken bones. Had it been Robin in her place, he would most certainly be dead.

On the one hand, she was impressed and happy that he'd been able to use his healing powers, but on the other, she wished that he had something small to start off with.

"If you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to take a little nap back here." Said Beast Boy with clenched teeth and a grimace on his face. "I'm not all that hungry right now but I'd appreciate it if you saved me a slice or two."

'A little nap?' Raven thought. 'He'll sooner pass out than get any sleep.'

"Is it that bad? We should probably take you to the medical bay if your back's really bugging you." Stated Cyborg who was still focused on driving.

"No. It's ok. Using these new powers just really took it out of me. I moved a bunch of cars, threw one at Plasmus, and flew for a while. I don't know how Raven does it."

Beast Boy opened his eyes long enough to give Raven a tiny wink before he shut them again.

Raven almost wanted to laugh at the hidden truth in what Beast Boy said. He was down for the count because of those powers all right, but it wasn't for the reason he was giving Cyborg. He would have been a little worn out if he'd just been throwing some cars around, but it was the healing that did the major number on him.

The T-Car slowed to a stop in front of the pizza place and Cyborg turned around to face Beast Boy.

"Ok man, but you should get some menthol gel for your back. I don't know how hard you hit the water but you're going to be sore for the next week at least." He said, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Looks like Rob and Star are already here. See you when we finish."

With that he got out the driver side door and entered the restaurant.

Raven still sat in the front seat and looked at Beast Boy. This was the first time she'd been left alone with him since he'd healed Starfire and they needed to talk.

"Are you alright Beast Boy?" She asked with concern quite evident in her voice. "Starfire was hurt very badly and you completely healed her."

"Yea, I'm ok. I'm pretty sore but I'll be fine in a bit."

"You don't have to lie, I know what it's like. This was your first time healing anything and it was something way bigger than you should have had to deal with."

"Ok." Said Beast Boy after he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm probably in the most pain I've ever been in for a long time. That plus the shoulders, I'm about ready to pass out."

"You did a very generous thing for Starfire. That and what you did for that little girl…" Said Raven as she leaned over the back seat.

She visibly winced as her side brushed against the seat but she continued to lean over and placed her hand on his forehead.

"What happened Rae?" Asked Beast Boy, having become more alert when Raven winced out of pain.

"It's nothing." She lied.

Beast Boy gave her a skeptical look. "I was honest with you, you at least owe me that."

Raven sighed. "Fair enough. I was injured when Mumbo's hat was destroyed. Remember when our powers came flying back a knocked us across the room? I hit a broken piece of brick and got a large gash up my side. I guess I aggravated the wound when I was moving people."

Beast Boy looked at her side and could see a little gauze from under her cloak. It was completely bloody and more seemed to be seeping through.

"You're bleeding." He said sitting up. "Let me see it."

Raven began to pull her cloak back but abruptly stopped.

'He's not thinking of healing it is he?'

"It's not that bad. I just need to change the bandage." She said.

"Let me see it." He repeated more as an order than a request.

Raven reluctantly pulled her cloak all the way back, exposing the blood soaked gauze. Beast Boy's pale hand reached forward and peeled the corner of the bandage back with the utmost care. He then closed his eyes and placed his hand above the wound. A light blue energy emanated from the palm of his hand and he slowly moved it up and down over the wound from the back seat.

After a brief moment, the only evidence that remained of the injury was the bloody gauze that Raven held. All the pain had left her completely but she knew the cost, it was now Beast Boy's pain to burden.

'How could he even think to do something like this in his condition? He's so kind…'

"Beast Boy…" Raven said quietly. "T-Thank you."

Beast Boy was still sitting up but his eyes were squeezed shut and his head lulled forward. Raven placed her green hand on his cheek and his eyes opened about half way. It looked as though he almost passed out and as if he was still going to. She leaned further forward and brought her lips to his.

The kiss didn't last long but it was more than a little peck. After a few short seconds, she pulled away and Beast Boy's eyes fluttered open. He looked at her with confusion before his eyes fell shut and he dropped to the seat of the car.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy carefully moved his hand up and down over the wound, basking it in a faint blue light. He could see that the injury was beginning to close itself and began to feel the pain grow from within. He closed his eyes because of the growing discomfort but continued to move his hand over Raven's side.

'Ok, just finish healing Raven and then you can pass out. You have to finish healing her first though.' He thought.

"Beast Boy… T-Thank you." Raven quietly said.

Beast Boy barely heard her. He was in a stupendous amount of pain and he could feel the pressing feeling of unconsciousness in the back of his mind. Something warm on his cheek caused him to open his eyes as best he could. Raven was very close and was leaning closer.

'She's going to kiss you dude!' Part of his mind happily exclaimed.

Beast Boy closed his eyes as he felt the warm touch of Raven's lips against his. His senses were flooded with her smell, her taste, and her touch and the pain he felt seemed to take a back seat to what he felt from her. She pulled away a few moments after that and Beast Boy looked at her as if to answer his unasked question.

'Why didn't anything explode? It didn't even shake.' He thought.

Soon after, the pain returned and Beast Boy felt his grip on consciousness slip. His eyes shut and he fell back to the seat.

:-:-:-:-:

"See you guys back at the tower." Said Robin as he put his motorcycle helmet on.

"Right." Replied Cyborg as he opened the driver side door of the T-Car. "Yo BB! Pizza's here!"

Cyborg threw the pizza box toward the sleeping Titan in the back seat but Raven caught it before it landed on him. Getting hit with a box of pizza wouldn't be a nice wake up call.

Beast Boy simply groaned in response to Cyborg's loud voice.

"Dude, you look worse than you did when I left. You should go straight to bed when we get home."

"Just need a nap." Muttered Beast Boy.

"Uh huh." Said the metallic Titan in disbelief. "Why don't you just heal your back?"

"Uh…" Beast Boy tried to come up with an answer.

"Because he can't reach his back properly to heal it." Said Raven.

'Hope he buys that.' She thought.

"Whatever." He replied.

The rest of the drive to the tower was more or less silent, and when they arrived, Beast Boy headed straight for his room.

"I'm going to turn in." He said as he stiffly walked up the stairs from the garage.

"Go to the med bay first. You definitely need some of that menthol gel." Said Cyborg. "I have to do a couple minor repairs to my systems but I'll be there in a bit."

"I'll get it." Said Raven.

Cyborg gave her a funny look but shrugged.

"Just go up to your room, I'll meet you there."

Beast Boy nodded and they parted ways, Beast Boy heading for his room, and Raven heading for the medical bay.

'Ok, menthol gel, menthol gel… Where would that be?' She thought as she rummaged through the cupboards. 'Gauze: no. Antiseptic: no. Bingo! Menthol gel.'

Raven held the container triumphantly and made a quick jog toward Beast Boy's room. It wouldn't do much for the pain he'd relieved from Starfire and herself, but it would be able to alleviate his physical injury.

After her short trek from the medical bay, she arrived in front of his door. The flat metal of the door had bold letters that spelled BEAST BOY engraved across the surface. The door was open a crack and she slid it open just enough to slide through. Beast Boy was laying face down on his bed breathing heavily into his pillow.

"I'm here." She said to alert him of her presence.

"Hey." He greeted through the pillow.

"Take off you shirt."

'That sounded a little bad…'

Beast Boy seemed to hesitate for a moment but he reached behind his head and roughly tore his collar until the tear he created met the hole in the back. He slid his arms out of the sleeves and pulled the upper part of his jumpsuit to his lower back.

Removing the clothing exposed a dark bluish bruise from the tops of his shoulders all the way down to the middle of his back.

"That looks really bad." She said as she gently touched part of the bruise.

Beast Boy flinched. "It feels the same way."

:-:-:-:-:

"Take off you shirt." Said Raven.

'What? She wants me to what?'

'Come on! What are you waiting for? _Raven_ wants you to take your shirt off. Loose it!'

'Shut up. She doesn't mean it that way… No. She's just going to put that stuff on my back.' He thought back to whatever emotion had tried to interpret Raven's request incorrectly.

He reached his arms back and felt how sore his shoulders really were. He did his best to ignore it though and simply ripped his already ruined suit down the back. The cool conditioned air of the tower felt nice on his bruised skin.

"That looks really bad." Said Raven.

She lightly touched his back and he flinched as a slight wave of pain spread over his back.

"It feels the same way."

Raven said nothing but opened the container she held. She began to apply the soothing gel to his back in a delicate circular motion. The heat of the gel seemed to penetrate deep into Beast Boy's muscles and he let out a contented sigh.

"Thanks a lot Rae." He said, turning his head in her direction.

"It's nothing." She mumbled with a slight blush. "It's the least I can do after you healed me. You shouldn't have done that though. After having healed Star, you had enough to deal with for a while."

"Yea…" Said Beast Boy. "You were injured though… I had the ability to take away your pain so I did, I'd do it again too."

Raven blushed even deeper and continued to rub tender circles into his back.

"Can I ask you something Rae?"

"Sure." She replied.

"About what happened on the couch, and then in the back of the T-Car… W-What did that mean?"

'Crap, stay calm. One… Two… Three… Four… Five…'

Raven took a moment to answer but stopped rubbing when she did.

"I-I'm not sure… I'm starting to experience all these new feelings and I don't know how to deal with all of them. When you jumped off the bridge after the little girl, I thought you were dead for sure. It made me realize that I have strong feelings for you but I don't know what they mean…"

'Feelings for me? Does she really have feelings for me? Maybe she's just confused…'

"Rae… I like you, a lot. I have for a while but I didn't know what to say. I know we're friends and all but we don't exactly have the best track record with one another. Most of that was me…" He said.

Again, Raven was quiet for a short time before she responded.

"I'm sorry. I've been cruel to you in the past and you didn't deserve that. I'm going to need a little while to try and sort out these feeling…" She bagan to massage the gel into his back again. "How does that feel?"

Beast Boy closed his eyes again and smiled a little.

"Really good. Thank you." He said. "I guess we should work on how to control animal instincts tomorrow."

"That would be good. I wasn't really able to do much in the way of fighting Plasmus today." She said as she began to rub the base of his neck.

Beast Boy sighed internally as Raven rubbed his back. It felt so soothing and the fact that it was Raven who was doing it made it that much more relaxing. The pain Beast Boy felt seemed to melt away as Raven's hands passed over his skin. He lay there, soaking in the feeling for a little while but spoke again.

"I have something for you Raven." He said as he stretched an arm out. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

Ten very large black hardcover books slid out from under the bed. Each was about the size of a very thick phone book. She wiped her hands on her cloak and picked one of the books up. The cover was solid black but along the spine in sliver writing was the title: 'The Encyclopedia of Animals Past and Present: Volume IV'.

"You can keep those if you want, I know each one cover to cover."

"Thank you Beast Boy. That's very kind of you."

"Not a problem. Maybe you'll be able to surprise me tomorrow with a couple of animals out of there." He said sleepily. "Thanks for helping me with my back. I'm pretty beat though, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Raven kneeled down to collect the pile of books and looked at Beast Boy. It almost looked as if he were asleep. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and grabbed the rest of the books.

"I'll try to wake up before noon tomorrow." She said with a slight laugh "Good night Beast Boy."

:-:-:-:-:

"So how was Beast Boy?" Asked Robin as Raven placed the pile of books on the table.

"Sore but otherwise ok." She said as she sat down on the couch.

"Where did you obtain such large books Raven?" Asked Starfire.

Raven opened the one from the top of the pile and began to read. "Beast Boy gave them to me. They're about all of Earth's animals."

"Glorious!" She exclaimed after flying over from the kitchen. "May I partake in the reading of these books with you?"

"Sure." She smiled warmly. "Take whichever you want."

Starfire let out a short squeal of happiness and quickly picked up one of the large books. She nestled herself in between Raven and Robin and got right down to reading.

So far, Raven found the books quite informative. Animals were alphabetically organized and there were several pages of information on each. There were picture of the animals accompanied by statistics such as sizes and weights, diets, average life spans, and other useful facts. For instance Raven learned that the peregrine falcon was the fastest animal in the world with a dive speed of up to three hundred kilometers an hour.

"I had no idea that Earth had such wondrous creatures!" Stated Starfire as she pointed out a picture of an anglerfish to Robin.

Robin smiled at Starfire's enthusiasm. "So you're going to be practicing changing into these things tomorrow?"

"Some of them I guess. I've tried changing once and it didn't turn out so well…"

"You weren't able to change?" He asked.

"No." Raven replied. "I was able to change but wasn't able to stay in control of the animal's instincts. We're going to be working on that first."

Robin nodded. "Until you feel you're at full capacity, you and Beast Boy should continue to train with one another."

"Ok. I think I'm going to head to bed now. Good night." She said as she picked up some of the books from the table.

'No use hauling all of them back to my room right now, I can get the others in the morning.' She thought.

"Good night." Both Robin and Starfire said, moving slightly closer together to read out of the same book.

* * *

Ok, I know this chapter was kind of short. Not to mention kind of crappy. I did manage to put Beast Boy through a bit more punishment and get a little bit of fluff in there so it wasn't a total waste (Almost though). 

Sorry Raven hasn't had more training but that's going to be big in the next chapter.

I had only a single 2-litre bottle of Coke for this chapter. More than half of that was just re-hydration after the blood donation though. I think that's the reason I don't really like this chapter, I will make sure chapter nine sees the deaths of many a can of Coca-Cola as to not repeat this mistake.

There's something like 197 reviews for this story! That's absolutely amazing! You guys are the most awesomely awesome people ever!

And here are the reviews!

Satu Simpson: Yea, poor Beast Boy. I do love to punish him so, but it's because I know he can take it and it makes him that much more loveable. I'm glad you liked it; I had a great time writing the action. Thanks for reviewing.

craZy18gurl: Thank you very much. I did like the whole idea of Beast Boy throwing himself off of a bridge to save the little girl. Raven did hug Beast Boy after he got back though, or were you referring to the guard captain? Thanks for your review.

dancingirl3: Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it.

PhoenixClaw: Thank you very much. I thought having some of those guys you always see getting trashed by the villains helping out would be interesting. Thanks for reviewing.

oranfly: Thanks. Beast Boy just seems like a selfless guy to me. Hurra for the BB fans! Thanks for reviewing.

Green Tears: Thank you. I'm happy that people liked it. Thanks for reviewing.

lol61188: Thank you very much.

OveractiveMind: Hurra for the suspense filled action and fluff! Not to worry, Raven will most definitely be working on morphing in chapter nine. There will be some Trigon oriented fun (and when I say fun I really mean chaos) coming up in later chapters. Thanks for reviewing.

SpazztheSlob: Thank you for your kind review.

Tammy Tamborine: Thanks. Yea, Raven's been a little powerless since the switch but chapter nine will remedy that! I too like to see Beast Boy do the hero thing. He just strikes me as the kind of guy who would shout out "Time to be a hero!" before stopping a bank robbery. Thanks for reviewing.

doc-trigger: Not a problem. I'm amazed that this story has received as many reviews as it has. I'm glad you liked chapter seven and I hoped you liked chapter eight just as much. Thanks for reviewing.

HAPPILI INSANE: Thank you very much.

Tattooed Goddess: Thank you very much for you kind review. I'm happy that you're enjoying the story so far. Again, thanks for reviewing.

FantasyObsessed: Huzza!

WickedWitchoftheSE: Thanks. Yep, Beast Boy leapt head first into certain doom with a flawed plan… But that's why we love him right? It looks like you hit the nail on the head, angstyness and kissing! Thanks for reviewing.

Giligan: I'm glad you like it so far. Raven will be getting in touch with her 'animal side' in the following chapter. It seems like a lot of people want to see that so I'm sorry if it took me a little while to get there. Thanks for reviewing.

SxStrngSamurai13: Thank you. I wanted to make the situation a little more serious and realistic so I did have to kill of a few guards. Knocking some of the Titans around helped out with that too. I'm glad you like the transition the characters are going through, Raven's having a little trouble dealing with all the new emotions she's allowed to express and now Beast Boy is trying to deal with the burden that his new powers bring. I'm also trying to show a little mutual respect being gained for one another now that they have to actually experience what each other had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Thanks for reviewing.

Flamma: Thank you. It has been fairly Beast Boy centric so far but chapter nine will see a bit of a change there. Raven _will_ be using her powers more for there on in. Thanks for reviewing.

Beast Boy 4ever: Thanks for reviewing!

darkdemon3592: Thanks. There was a bit more of the romantic stuff here but we'll see more in future chapters. Thanks for reviewing.

teenyugiohpotterphantom: Thank you. Everyone's gotta love the fluffiness! I'm sure the deceased cans of pop, half bag of chips, and poor speaker are looking down and smiling at the progress of this story. Thanks for reviewing.

Glean-Glean: Thanks. Honestly, I don't know haw many chapters I'm going to write. I hadn't expected this to make it past chapter six but people seem to like it. I find that I enjoy it a great deal myself, so I'm just going to continue to write and see where the story goes. Thanks for reviewing.

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thank you. The next chapter will see the end of Raven's almost total weakness but she'll still be at a disadvantage. I completely agree with you on your comment about the different types of villains. Slade is a classic villain and a personal favorite but sometimes he's just a little to predictable. The HIVE are good too but the have goals and desires just like Slade, making them predictable. Small timers like Dr. Light have very simple desires like robbing banks or doing something crazy like trying to make so giant light bulb to make eternal daytime (or whatever he was doing in the beginning of The Prophecy). Mumbo just has this chaotic quality to him that is unpredictable and potentially very dangerous. Thank you very much for the idea, I do think I will use it in upcoming chapters. I did think about doing the whole name-changing thing but it feels kind of weird. There should have been some kind of comment made in the previous chapter about that but I figured the mother was a little too emotional about her daughter to really care and the guard was a little busy helping Raven move people to think it important. I'll probably have the story touch on that though. Thanks for reviewing.

starmay: Thank you. Raven will be using her powers very soon!

BrianDarksoul: Thanks. Yep, Beast Boy now has to be the healer at the cost of the pain. He's a good guy though, I think he'd do it. Thanks for reviewing.

Yue-neko: Thank you. I hope you liked this chapter.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thanks for reviewing!

BlackRoses4Raven: Thank you very much!

midorinasu: Thank you very much for your kind review. I'm glad you like the story.

NightScribe: Thank you very much. It's good to see people like the pace of the story. Coke owns Pepsi and day of the week!

Iuz the Old: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

.: Thank you very much.

Nero2313: Thank you very much.

warprince2000: Thanks.

Necro: Thanks. Thank you for alerting me to those mistakes. I hope you liked this chapter.

Darth Sonic: Thank you very much. I know it seems a little odd, but if you think about what happened, the appearance of the people who saved you doesn't really matter that much. That's my excuse anyway. I'll be going into that a little more later on. Thanks for reviewing.

Controversy Sistuh: Thank you very much.

iforgetmyname: Thank you. I can only speculate, but I would assume there's lots of plastic and aluminum… I do take their remains to the bottle depot anyway :P Thanks for reviewing.

Ravenwouldplaylax: Thanks. I thought of having Raven do something to save Beast Boy (while he was saving the little girl) but it would have been a little odd to write. It also would have taken away from Beast Boy's whole valiantly leaping into uncertainty thing. Meh, we'll see some Raven oriented action soon. Thanks for reviewing.

N.C. PsyChick: I do think Beast Boy is the brave type. Thanks for reviewing.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	9. The Claws!

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'd like to thank everyone for their amazingly kind reviews on chapter eight. I wasn't all that happy with the way it turned out but all of your responses pulled me out of my funk. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Nine

Beast Boy relaxed and let the hot water of the shower wash over him. The intense pain he had experienced yesterday was now just a sore aching all over. It was a far cry from comfortable, but at least he wouldn't pass out because of the pain he felt. He still bore a large and dark bruise all over his upper back and it was sorer than the rest of his body, but the continual and gentle flow of water was a relief.

He had awoken early that morning as well, it was 6:45AM and he had already been basking in the warmth of the shower for half an hour.

'I guess there are a couple advantages to getting up early.' He thought as he turned off the water.

He looked at his change of clothes as he toweled off and frowned. It was just another of his regular purple and black jumpsuits. Didn't he have any other clothes? Why should he wear the same thing now that he didn't have to wear that constricting spandex?

'I'm going to have to buy some new clothes…'

Beast Boy moved down the deserted halls toward the common room and passed through the doors to find it empty. It wasn't that big a surprise, if anyone were there it would be Robin. It appeared that the Titan's leader had yet risen so Beast Boy would be dining alone.

He pulled a couple slices of vegetarian pizza from the fridge and began to chew on one. For some reason, he hadn't had his usual appetite since the change. Well, besides the time he had to wait until lunch for a meal that is. He thought back to that incident the other day. He was enjoying the time he spent with Raven. It seemed as though she was as well, but it was difficult to be certain.

She was beginning to express her emotions now so it was tough to tell how she really felt. She may have felt that way about everything before but was simply forced to quash those feeling because of her powers. It was still good to see her happy. Beast Boy loved to hear her laugh, even if it didn't mean as much now, he still loved the lively sound in her beautiful voice.

He dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and winced as his injured back came in contact with the backrest.

"This is really starting to get old…" He mumbled.

'Maybe I can heal it now. I'm not in that much pain anymore.'

He placed his slices of pizza on the table and reached both hand over his shoulders. The pull on the muscle and skin made him want to drop his arms but he resisted. He did what he'd done twice before, he felt the energy inside him; he saw the blue glow growing outwards to his hands. As the faint bluelight shone down on his back, the bruise began to diminish in size and he felt the discomfort start to grow inside him again.

The pain seemed to stop for a moment and Beast Boy thought he was done but the moment he stopped, he was hit by a jolt of pain. It caused him to choke slightly as he inhaled.

"Are you ok Beast Boy?" Asked Robin.

'When the hell did he show up?'

"Uh… Yea, just a weird feeling. I was trying to heal my back but it was a lot different from when I healed Starfire." He lied.

Robin gave him an odd look for a moment but shrugged it off.

"I never did thank you for that… What happened on the bridge yesterday…" He sighed heavily as he fell into one of the seats. "It was the first time I didn't know what to do. Starfire was in danger but so was a citizen of jump city."

"It was a tough call to make." Said Beast Boy as he began to eat his cold pizza again.

Robin slammed his fists to the table, slightly startling Beast Boy for a moment. He did his best to center himself and looked back to Robin.

"It shouldn't have been! Things like this are supposed to be black and white; either you do this because it's right or you don't do it because it's wrong!" His shoulders dropped and his body relaxed. "My feelings for Starfire aren't exactly the biggest secret in the world, but it was a little girl… What am I supposed to do in that situation? If you didn't stop me, I would have left Starfire to save the girl. Star would have died…"

Beast Boy didn't respond but he studied his leaders expression. Cold and depressing emotions were emanating off of him in full force.

"I love Starfire but I would have left her to die. Do you want to know my reasoning behind it?" Robin let out a bitter laugh that was completely devoid of happiness. "She's a Titan. This is the shit we deal with daily and it was what she signed up for. That little girl didn't expect something like this so I was going to go after her. Until you stepped in that is."

"Starfire is a Titan, and danger is something we all have to deal with. She didn't die though, neither did the little girl, and do you know why? It's because we're a team. I was there to save the girl and you saved Starfire." Beast Boy steadily explained. "You may be the leader but the responsibility of protecting this city and one another lies on all our shoulders."

"Since when did you get to be so wise?" He asked as he lifted an eyebrow above the edge of his mask.

Beast Boy could feel that the mood had obviously lightened so he afforded himself a little slack on his tightly reigned emotions.

"Guess it's all in the powers." He shrugged with a very slight laugh.

"I don't think so. People usually don't give you a lot of credit for much, but you've got a lot more going on inside than you let on." He grinned after having decided that the conversation had been far too serious. "So when are you going to ask Raven out?"

'Yea! When are you going to ask her out?' One of his many emotions excitedly exclaimed.

Beast Boy began to answer before he fully understood the repercussions of what he was about to say.

"I don't really know, we have been getting-What?" He cut himself off and one of the chairs at the table began to shake.

Robin just grinned wider. "What do you mean 'What'? Don't think we didn't see you clinging to each other on the bridge."

Before Beast Boy could protest, Cyborg walked in through the common room doors and yawned loudly.

"Mornin' guys. What are you talking about?" He asked as he sat next to Robin.

Again Beast Boy was cut off before he could speak. "Just about how clingy Beast Boy and Raven were yesterday."

"Oh yea man, you two were getting pretty touchy feely, weren't ya?"

Beast Boy blushed and hung his head in defeat. There was absolutely no way to come out of this on top now that they had both ganged up on him. Was there a way to avoid this embarrassing and potentially destructive situation?

"Guys? Emotion driven powers, drop it." He said blankly.

Both Cyborg and Robin promptly closed their mouths.

"So I'm going to be getting some new clothes." He said in an attempt to conquer the uncomfortable silence. "I'm not going to wear a spandex jumpsuit a minute longer than I have to."

"What kind of stuff are you going to get?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm not sure, probably just some pants and some shirts. They may not last that long in combat though."

"I've got a jacket made out of the same fire, shock, and projectile resistant material as my capes if you want it. It's a little small for me so it should fit you fine." Robin offered.

"Sure, Thanks."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven rolled to the side and smacked her alarm clock. She was tired; therefore, she would sleep more. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, she sat bolt upright.

'I can't fall asleep again. It's time to wake up.' Raven thought to herself. 'At least my alarm woke me today.'

She stretched her arms high above her head and arched her back as she let out a large yawn. She glanced at her clock and almost fell out of her bed when she noticed the time it displayed.

'It's already 12:37PM! My alarm has been going off for three and a half hours!'

She quickly donned her leotard and wrapped herself with her cloak. Where would Beast Boy be right now? She thought the most probable location to be the common room and made off in that direction.

When she got to the common room however, she only found Starfire and Cyborg. Starfire seemed to be making lunch in the kitchen and Cyborg was playing on the game station.

"Where's Beast Boy?" She asked before even announcing her presence.

"He was waiting her for you for a while, but he left about an hour ago since you were a no show. He said something about picking up some new duds." Replied Cyborg as he shut off the game station. "You guys were supposed to be training right? He said you should call him on his communicator when you were ready."

Her stomach growled a little.

'Well, he said when I'm ready. I might as well have lunch first.' She thought.

Raven went over to the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards. She grabbed a can of soup and a bowl and poured the contents of the can into the bowl. After hitting the correct sequence of buttons, she placed the bowl in the microwave and pushed the start button. She leaned on the counter and looked over to Starfire while she waited for her lunch to heat.

"What are you making Star?" She asked, prepared to hear some obscure and difficult to pronounce Tameranian dish.

"Crème of mushroom soup." She replied giddily. "Robin has taught me to make this."

Raven blinked momentarily at her simple answer. "Well that's… Normal."

"Is it not wonderful?" She asked in her ever-happy tone of voice. "It was beginning to become exceedingly difficult to find the proper ingredients for my Tameranian recipes."

Cyborg stretched as he rose from the couch. "Well, Robin said he wanted someone to spar with so I'll be in the gym."

After Cyborg left, Starfire turned off the stove and dished herself some of her soup. The microwave beeped indicating Raven's soup was ready as well and she took it to the table.

"Raven, would now be an appropriate time to initiate in 'girl talk'?" The tawny haired Titan asked.

Raven blew on her soup to cool it and nodded.

"Glorious! Then I must tell you of my experiences last night! After you departed for bed, Robin and I continued to study your books about Earth creatures. We did this for a short time but Robin soon spoke of what happened during our fight with Plasmus. He told me that he was very worried for my safety when I was injured and went on to say that he would not know what to do if something bad were to happen to me. We then kissed!" She excitedly squealed the last part.

Raven listened quietly the whole time Starfire was talking but couldn't help but giggle at her excitement.

'Took them long enough.' She thought.

"That's great Starfire. What are you two going to do now?" Raven asked with a warm smile.

"I asked him if that meant I was his girlfriend but he said he wasn't sure. He told me that he would very much like it if I was though and we kissed again!" Stated Starfire, almost bouncing out of her chair.

Starfire was usually a very bubbly person but it now seemed that she was absolutely ecstatic.

"It took you two long enough!" Raven giggled.

Starfire sighed wistfully and looked up at Raven from her soup.

"And what of your relationship with Friend Beast Boy?"

The green Titan blushed and looked down to her soup. She should have expected this.

"I wouldn't exactly say what we have is a relationship."

"What do you mean? Do you not have feelings for him?" Starfire asked.

"Well… Yea, but it's not that simple…"

"And why is it not that simple? It has been apparent to me for some time that Beast Boy has strong feelings for you. If you both care for one another, why not simply admit it?" She said with a quizzical expression on her face.

"I do have feelings for Beast Boy, but there are just so many different emotions. It's hard for me Star, I was raised so that I would ignore my emotions. Now that I'm feeling and expressing them, I'm finding it difficult to know what I should really do." Raven explained.

"You must follow your heart Friend. Deep down you already know what you want. If it is Beast Boy your heart desires, than it is he who you confess your affection to. I was afraid that Robin did not feel the same for me as I did for him, but now that I know we both feel the same way, I am feeling most wondrous!" She said as she got up and spun in a circle in mid air.

"Yes." Raven sighed in resignation. "Yes, you're right. I still need to find out what my heart really wants though."

"I am certain you will make the correct decision." Starfire smiled as she washed her dishes. "I am going to the gym to train with _Boyfriend_ Robin"

That was it, too much. The emphasis she put on 'Boyfriend' had just broken Raven's last barrier of emotional control. She began to giggle but it steadily progressed into a full and hearty fit of laughing. She laughed so hard that her sides hurt and tears were in her eyes. After a minute or two, her laughter subsided and she saw Starfire looking at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry Star." Raven said as she wiped a tear away. "It's just the way you said '_Boyfriend_' that got me. I think everyone in the tower was just waiting for you two to get together. It was painfully obvious that you both liked each other but neither of you seemed to catch on."

Starfire blushed and waved to her friend as she left the room.

'Well, I guess I have to call Beast Boy.' She thought as she placed her dish in the sink.

She moved over to the computer console and dialed Beast Boy's communicator. It rang for a little while but a dark mass of blue soon appeared on the screen. Raven wasn't quite sure what she was seeing until Beast Boy's head popped through the top of the dark blue shirt.

"Hello?" Said Beast Boy. "Oh hey Raven. Are you ready to give transforming another shot?"

"Uh, yea. Sorry I made you wait but I slept in again…"

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy pulled one of the shirts he had selected over his head when his communicator started to beep that familiar nine-tone ring. He rummaged through his clothing that he had entered the store with before fully putting the shirt on.

"Hold on, I'll be there in a second." He muttered.

After snapping open the device, Beast Boy pulled the garment all the way over his head to see who was calling him.

"Hello? Oh hey Raven." He answered after seeing who had called him. "Are you ready to give transforming another shot?"

"Uh, yea." She sheepishly replied. "Sorry I made you wait but I slept in again…"

Beast Boy wanted to laugh at he demeanor and the fact that she had yet again slept in, but remembered that he was in a public place and quickly quashed the feeling.

"That's ok. I'm almost done here so I should be back in half an hour. You should try changing into a kitten again before I get back. You just have to remember, no matter how strong the animal instincts are, you are the one in control and nothing will change that."

Raven nodded. "See you soon then."

"Bye." He replied as he shut the communicator.

Beast Boy looked down to the pile of clothed he selected. There were three pairs of pants, six shirts, and a belt. There seemed to be a predominant feature to all of the clothing; it was all fairly dark. The jeans he had selected were all a very dark blue denim and his shirts were either a dark blue or black. He was satisfied with what he had chosen and walked out of the changing room to the front counter.

On his way there, he grabbed a dark gray t-shirt.

'Couldn't hurt to add a little bit of light.' He thought.

He deposited the pile of clothes and the tags from the pants and shirt he was now wearing on the counter. The woman began to scan the items through. She looked out to him for a moment and then at the jumpsuit he held under his arm.

"Wait a second…" She said. "You're one of the Teen Titans aren't you? Aren't you supposed to be green or something?"

Beast Boy knew this was going to happen sooner or later, his preference would have been for later but he was faced with the situation now. The woman annoyed him; there was a tone in her voice that felt a little condescending.

"Yes. The name's Beast Boy." He said, doing his best to feign indifference.

"So why aren't you green anymore?" She asked again, having stopped scanning items.

"Does it really matter what color I am so long as I defend the city? I'm not green anymore because I no longer transform into animals." He explained as annoyance began to slip into his voice.

"That's kinda dumb." She plainly said. "So what's your new 'superhero' name if you don't transform into animals?"

Beast Boy was starting to get thoroughly annoyed by this woman and was doing his best to keep his temper in check. He closed his eyes and centered himself so that his powers didn't destroy anything and spoke again.

"My name is, and will continue to be, Beast Boy. I would appreciate it if you could just complete the sale thank you." He replied through still closed eyes and in monotone.

The clerk just shrugged and informed him of his total which he quickly paid before leaving the store.

:-:-:-:-:

'Ok. I might as well give it a try.' Raven thought to herself before focusing on an image of a kitten.

She felt herself begin to shrink and her skin tingled as fur sprouted all over. She fell forward as she continued to shrink and landed on two furry green paws that were once her hands. Her tail grew out behind her and she swished it through the air. Her ears that were now atop her head swiveled slightly to focus on which directions sounds were coming from.

She was again struck with the sense that the best thing to do right now was to find a soft place to curl up and sleep. Having prepared herself for this, Raven did her best to resist the animal urges. After a short mental battle, the animal instincts seemed to back down and left her in total control.

'Got it!' She thought to herself.

Raven began to walk around the empty common room. It was amazing how little sound her small paws made on the soft carpet. She moved over to the couch and crouched down. She could feel the muscles in her hind legs tense before she sprang forward onto the backrest of the couch.

After a little more exploring, Raven stood in the middle of the common room and thought about her human form. She turned back into herself with alarming speed and she was forced to stick her leg out behind her to stop from falling over. She dropped herself to the couch and took a deep breath.

"Well that was interesting." She said out loud.

Just then, she heard the front doors of the tower open. It had been almost half an hour so it must have been Beast Boy.

A devious smile played on Raven's lips.

'I wonder what he'd do if I snuck up on him as a cat.' She thought.

She again transformed into a small green kitten and hastily slunk over to the common room doors. She crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce on her unsuspecting prey and waited. As predicted, the hydraulic double-doors opened and through them strode Beast Boy. Perfect timing, she crouched down a little more and sprang forward.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy stepped through the towers front doors with his bags of clothing in hand to meet Cyborg.

"Hey Cy, what's up?" He asked.

"I was training with Robin." He replied but scrunched up his face. "Until Starfire came to train that is. I had to bail when they started going all lovey dovey on one another."

Beast Boy smirked a little. "It took them long enough. Hey, have you seen Raven?"

"Last time I saw her, she was in the common room."

"Thanks." Beast Boy said before making his way to the stairs.

He jogged up to his room and threw the bags of clothes on the bed before walking to the common room.

'I wonder if she's managed to control the kitten yet.' He mused.

The double-doors hissed open and he stepped through. After a quick scan of the room before him, he found Raven was not there.

All of the sudden, he felt tiny, but nonetheless sharp, claws in the back of his shirt. He let out a sharp yelp of surprise and one of the pillows on the couch exploded, sending cottony fluff in all directions. The sudden noise made his attacker leap forward and land in a heap on the floor ahead of him.

A green kitten swiftly transformed back into Raven who was lying on the ground in only her leotard. For a moment, they were both completely silent; simply staring at one another. Then Raven burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard that she was rolling back and forth on the ground.

"You should have seen your face!" She choked between fits of laughter.

Beast Boy shook off his shock and just looked at her. It took all his self-control, but he managed to keep his face emotionless. Even if his face didn't betray any emotion, he was happy. Right now Raven was laughing. That beautiful sound meant more to him than almost anything.

* * *

Hello everyone. I am Ubu's younger brother. He asked me to post this for him. He is going to be away until Thursday. I received an e-mail from him today though, it contained the second half of this chapter and an authors note. Here it is: 

Alright! I know I said that there would be a ton of transforming Raven in this chapter but there wasn't. Sorry but I began to write and this is just the way it went. I thought it would be good to put another serious moment with Robin in there and have a bit of humor with Cyborg. I also wanted Raven to start experiencing a little more emotion and I thought the 'girl talk' with Starfire was fitting.

I am currently moving around with my friends and I'm a ways from home. I'm due back on Thursday the 11th so I'll post the reviews then. I'd have done it now but I have limited internet access (I'm currently in an internet cafe). I should be posting an update fairly soon after I return because there is a long ferry trip and bus ride back where I have little more to do than listen to music and write. I'll also do a proper editing job on all of this chapter when I return.

I consumed four sacrificial cans of Coke in the writing of this chapter. I hope they were worth it.

Thank you all for your understanding and thanks for taking the time to read my story.


	10. Other Friends Have Flown Before

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I know I said that I'd be back Thursday with the reviews but I didn't get back until very late on Monday. Instead of everything going as planned, our road trip took a little detour into the interior of British Columbia. It was basically you average 'just out of high school so lets see how far we can get on $300' sorta teen thing. Me, my friends Stephanie, Dan, Mike, and Clair each chipped in $60 and some junk food and hopped in to Dan's old convertible and just drove. Unfortunately, we didn't ration our money as well as we could have and ended up somewhere north of Prince George. (A good distance for us because we live on the mid-east coast of Vancouver Island!) Lacking enough money for gas, and having no bank machine anywhere near us, we had to work for a couple days in a small town to get back on the road.

It was fun and I guess I have a story to tell the grandkids when I get all wrinkly and old. Have you ever tried sleeping in a car with four other people? I have for a week straight! Though in that time I managed to gain a girlfriend! (A hero cookie to whoever can guess who my girlfriend is!) I guess being someone's pillow/bed can do that.

Now that I've done that, my evil little brain is scheming of a Teen Titan story similar to that. Could it be more perfect? Five people, three guys, two girls and I can totally assign a Teen Titan character to each of us! I'm not exactly sure what story I'm going to write after this one now… I had originally planned to do one of those 'Titan leaves for a time to gain control of whatever and comes back a changed person'. Lame right? I know it's been done to death, but this would have a bit of a twist to it. So what do you guys think? Go with the 'Leaves and comes back' story or the road trip one? (I don't know if the road trip thing had been done but it doesn't exactly sound uber original.)

Any and all feedback on this matter would be immensely appreciated!

Oh well, all that fun is over. I'm sure you're all very angry with me for just sort of leaving this where I did, so on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Beast Boy sat on the common room couch and watched as Raven turned into yet another animal. So far she'd managed to change into a kitten, a dog, a butterfly, and a mouse. There was a minor problem with the mouse though; she'd actually ended up running and hiding from Beast Boy under the couch. He had managed to coax her out shortly after though.

Now a very dark green iguana sat on the floor. Raven lazily made her way to the couch and reverted back to her normal form before falling heavily to one of the cushions.

"You're doing a very good job." He told her. "Don't worry about the mouse right now. Rodents are always tough to control."

Raven looked slightly deject and Beast Boy could feel her disappointment radiating from her. It was understandable but she should have been happy about the fact that she had come as far as she did.

"So what should I try now?" She asked as she heaved a sigh.

'What should she try now? We can't do anything big in here… How about a bird though? She does need to get used to flying.'

"Do you think you're ready to try flying?" He asked.

"I guess I could try." She smiled. "I think I know just the bird to go with too."

Raven closed her eyes and quickly shrank. A dark green beak replaced her nose and mouth and feathers sprouted all over her body. Her legs became short and scaly and tiny little claws tipped her now avian toes. A few short seconds after the transformation began, it ended and now standing in Raven's place was a small green raven.

Beast Boy held in a laugh at her choice of bird and examined her. Did she have control of the animal's instincts? Right now, she was looking around the room until her eyes fell upon Beast Boy. She froze and just stared.

"Are you in control?"

As soon as he spoke, she let out a gravely croak-like caw and took flight.

'Crap.' He thought. 'I've got to calm her down.'

"Hey Raven." He gently said. "Remember, you're the one in control. Change back."

Raven didn't seem to heed his words because she just flew around the room until she landed on top of the counter. Beast Boy didn't want to spook her into flight again so he kept his distance.

"Where's a bust of Pallas when you need one?" He muttered to himself.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven examined her surroundings; she knew that she was just in the common room, but her animal instincts told her to check for any possible threat. This animal's instincts were particularly strong and she was having a difficult time dealing with them.

Her eyes fell on Beast Boy and she froze. Maybe he hadn't seen her, moving would only alert this larger and possibly dangerous creature to her presence. No such luck, he spoke directly to her.

"Are you in control?" He asked.

She let out a short caw and leapt into the air.

'I'm the one in control here!' She thought.

Despite her attempt to gain control of her animal body, she still flew around the ceiling of the common room, well out of Beast Boy's reach.

"Hey Raven. Remember, you're the one in control." He said in a gentle voice. "Change back."

'I'd like to.' She thought, but her body did not seem to respond.

The animal form she had now taken had decided that the best thing to do was gain elevation, get away from the possible threat on the ground. Though she knew that Beast Boy would never hurt her, the bird's instincts thought otherwise.

'Enough!' She angrily thought. 'I'm the one in control of this body, not some stupid animal!'

And just like that, the natural instincts of the raven backed down and the green changeling was left with total control. After making a final circle of the common room, Raven glided down to the counter and made a somewhat awkward landing. Using her tail feathers to guide her flight to a stop was a totally knew sensation that she'd never experienced; even though there was a part of the animal instincts that told her what to do, it was still incredibly disorienting.

"Where's a bust of Pallas when you need one?" Muttered Beast Boy as he kept a fair distance between himself and Raven.

'Bust of Pallas? So he's actually read that?' Raven thought, a little surprised and amused at the same time.

The green bird then fluttered off of the counter and landed on Beast Boy's shoulder. The pale Titan gave her a questioning look for a moment and she hopped off. She transformed back into the body that she had more or less become accustomed to.

Raven let out a short laugh and leaned up against the counter. "You should try intellectual humor more often. It's a lot funnier than those corny jokes you're always telling."

:-:-:-:-:-:

"You should try intellectual humor more often." Said Raven after she let out a laugh. "It's a lot funnier than those corny jokes you're always telling."

"Yea, I guess so." He sighed.

Beast Boy hadn't been trying to be funny, it just seemed so appropriate for the situation. He wanted to be able to joke around with Cyborg or Robin, play on the game station, or just fall down laughing. He smiled a bittersweet smile at the irony of it. He always wanted to make Raven laugh; he always tried so hard but always failed. Now when he wasn't even trying though, she actually found something he said funny. Not funny like he'd said something stupid, but actually funny.

His days of joking and just fooling around seemed to be over though. So long as he had these powers, he would always be restricted.

'So what if I can't have fun like I used to? I told Raven that I'd take away her pain if I could. Her powers may not have been causing her pain, but she was always forced to ignore her emotions. If having this curse means Raven can be free, then I'll gladly bear it.' He thought.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked as she moved a little closer to him.

"Hmm?" Said Beast Boy as he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing important. How about we try some animals that can fight?" He said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Ok…" She replied in an unbelieving tone. "What kind of animals do you suggest?"

"Well there's the grizzly bear, gorilla, tyrannosaurus, rhino, triceratops, wolf, cougar, anaconda…" He counted them off on his fingers. "They don't need to be strong to help in a fight though, sometimes changing into a monkey or a squirrel can be a lot more effective. There's also the 'crush' tactic. All you have to do is fly up over you're target and turn into something like a whale. It'll kind of hurt, but it works."

Raven nodded. "So what should I try in here?"

"I'd say gorilla. They can get a bit jumpy around a lot of people, but it should be the easiest to deal with in here." He shrugged. "Besides, I don't really feel like getting mauled by anything at the moment."

"Maul you? Why Beast Boy, I'm shocked that you think I would ever do such a thing." She shot back, feigning indignity. "You know I'd only maim you a little anyway."

:-:-:-:-:

Dr. Light sat in his home surfing over television channels. It had only been a week since he's been given probation for good behavior and he wasn't all that eager to go back to prison. No, he'd play the good little convict and do what he was told. It's not like he could do much more than that anyway; his suit was confiscated, all of his tools in his lab had been taken as evidence, and he didn't have the money to set up a new workshop.

Sure, he wanted to get revenge on the Titans, especially Raven for what she'd done to him, but he couldn't. He was more terrified than he'd ever been in his life when he was pulled into that darkness. No, it wasn't darkness. Darkness is an absence of light, you _need_ light to make darkness. What was under that cloak was not darkness. Chaos would be a better way to describe it. He could see nothing, all he could do was listen and feel. What he heard would stay with him for the rest of his life. There was screaming, screaming the likes of which he was sure originated from Hell itself. He was also beaten. He couldn't see his attackers, but he was beaten so horribly that all he could do to protect himself was curl up into the fetal position.

It felt like he was trapped there for an eternity but was later told by the prisons physiatrists that it was only a matter if seconds. He was afraid of the dark now as a result. Not some silly child's fear of the boogieman, but a rational fear. He knew there were evils that could harm him from the inky veil of the shadows. He was never afraid before his encounter with the dark Titan so he figured that it must be her. It was she that controlled the evils in the dark. She could still harm him with the darkness.

He stopped idly flipping channels when he saw an image of Plasmus destroying vehicles on a bridge. Sure enough, the Titans came in to save the day. But something was different… Where was the green one? And where was the dark demon for that matter? As the images of the battle ended, there was a brief moment where all of the super heroes appeared.

"What's this? That demon is now green? She can no longer haunt me?" He thought aloud. "I can finally take my revenge!"

:-:-:-:-:

"That was interesting." Said Raven.

She'd transformed into more than two-dozen animals and was quite tired. Apparently rearranging your DNA to make yourself a different creature can take a lot out of you. She felt good though, she had gained control of the animal instincts quicker with each transformation.

"You're doing great. You should rest now, but you're going to have to learn to make the changes reflexively in a fight." Said the pale Titan.

"Sure. Do you want to try making shields and phasing through objects now?"

"I'll give it a shot." He replied.

"Good. Shields aren't all that tough, all you need to do is visualize and think of what you want the energy to do." She explained. "Try thinking about a protective bubble forming around you."

Beast Boy stretched out his arms and muttered his magic words. A dark mist flowed out of his hands and began to form a bubble. It was an odd sight, the only way it could really be described is if a gently stream of water was sprayed into the inside of a fishbowl. Instead of succumbing to gravity and pooling at the bottom though, the water would swirl around and coat the inner surface of the bowl until it was completely covered. Not long after Beast Boy began, the dark mist created a whole bubble that would have looked completely solid save for the slight transparent appearance.

He dropped his arms to his side hand heaved a sigh. The shield he had created vanished from existence the moment he dropped his arms and he began the rub the base of his neck.

"I hate to break the role we're on, but I think I need to sit for a little bit." He said in an almost complete monotone. "My back's really bugging me."

"Should I get some more of the gel?" Raven asked.

Beast Boy turned his face away from Raven to conceal a minor blush but shook his head.

"It's not that bad. I tried healing it this morning but I'm not really sure it worked."

"Let me see it." She said in a tone that sounded quite like an order.

Beast Boy seemed to hesitate for a short moment but complied. He lifted the back of his dark blue shirt up to his head to reveal a still rather large bruise. True, it was smaller than before but it still covered a large area; namely, the base of his neck and the center of his back just past the bottom of his shoulder blades. It was also no longer the deep purple it had been; it was instead a lighter shade of blue with some gray and a yellow along the edge.

"It's not as bad as it was last night." Stated Raven. "Is it sore?"

"Just when I move my arms around. It fine though, really."

Raven bit her lower lip. 'What am I supposed to do? He said he didn't need the gel but he's still in pain…'

"Sit." She said pointing at the floor in front of the couch.

"Don't worry about it. It's not that big a deal, see?" He said as he stretched his arms high above his head, doing his best and failing to conceal a grimace of pain.

"Sit!" Repeated Raven in a more forceful and annoyed tone.

Beast Boy shut his mouth and did as his green friend said. Raven then sat on the couch behind him with her legs to either side of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She began to gently massage with her thumbs and fingertips and Beast Boy let out a slight sigh of contentment.

"Is that too hard?" Raven asked.

"No." He replied in a sleepy tone. "That's perfect."

Raven smiled as his head lulled slightly. It was funny that something as simple as a little massage could practically put him to sleep.

'He is really cute right now.' She thought. 'But what does that mean? What did Starfire say? Deep down I know what I want… Is that Beast Boy?'

Raven looked down to him again and smiled a little wider. His head was swaying slightly as a result of her massaging him.

'I know that I don't want to be without him, that much I knew from the bridge. I know he's kind, brave, and he'd do anything to protect his friends. I kind of get this sort of warm feeling when he's around… Does that mean I love him?'

It was tough to be sure what she wanted. Did that really matter though? She'd come to terms with as much as she had, that alone was more than enough to give it a shot. And why not? She'd known Beast Boy for years now, he'd never do anything to hurt her. How was she supposed to go about this though?

Raven continued to massage her comrade as she contemplated all of this and suddenly became aware of a warmth on her leg. Beast Boy had actually fallen asleep and had his head resting on her knee as a pillow. She smiled again and tried to hold a laugh in. Yesterday had been pretty action-packed and Beast Boy was right in the thick of it.

"I guess you've earned it."

:-:-:-:-:

Robin grunted as he struck the wall hard and fell to a heap on the ground.

"Robin!" Starfire shrieked.

She quickly flew to his side from the mattes they had been sparring on to find him unconscious. She sat on her feet and gently lifted his head onto her lap. He showed no signs of waking.

"Oh please awaken Robin. I am very sorry for damaging you…"

Robin grunted again and opened his eyes.

"It's alright Star, you just surprised me with that left hook." He said with a small smile. "I think that's enough for now though."

"May we see how Friends Beast Boy and Raven are fairing?" She asked.

"Sure, I don't see why we couldn't."

With that, they picked themselves up and made their way to the common room, some slightly stiffer than others but the made it there all the same. As the doors to the common room opened, they were met with a strange sight. Raven was sitting on the couch with her head resting on the back of it and was sleeping. The tiniest hint of a snore was present in her breathing. Beast Boy was sitting on the floor in front of her and had his head resting on her knee, his arm was also wrapped around the same leg he was sleeping on. He had a pleasant smile on his face.

'This is most wondrous!' She thought. 'I have not seen Beast Boy smile since this switch took place.'

"Awww…" Cooed Starfire.

Robin said nothing but wore a sort of smirk.

"Should we leave them alone?" She quietly asked.

"I haven't had lunch yet. It should be fine so long as we keep our voices down." He said in a similar volume of voice.

Robin walked into the kitchen and began to make himself a sandwich. Starfire sat at the table but continued to watch the two sleeping Titans. She saw and heard Raven's breathing slow and she lifted her head. It didn't appear that she was aware of their presence in the kitchen because she just looked at the darkly dressed Titan seated before her. She let out a pensive sigh and began to run her hand through his thick and slightly messy purple hair.

"Is this what it feels like?" She said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Robin pulled out the chair to sit and eat his sandwich but the noise made Raven aware that she and Beast Boy were not alone. She froze on the spot then slowly turned her head toward the kitchen. Starfire smiled warmly and Robin proceeded to eat his lunch.

"H-How long have you been there?" She asked.

"We arrived in the kitchen before you awoke." Starfire happily informed her. "You and Friend Beast Boy look quite happy together."

Raven quickly turned her head away from them to hid her furious blush.

"I have to go." She said as she attempted to rise.

Her efforts failed though because Beast Boy was still wrapped around her leg.

She shook him a bit. "Hey, wake up."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy could feel someone gently shaking him. Why should he wake up now? He was so relaxed and just wanted to go back to sleep. He was in the state of consciousness where he wasn't exactly awake, but he wasn't asleep either. He was warm and could feel he was holding on to something warm and he squeezed it a little.

The shaking became a little stronger and his eyes reluctantly opened.

"It's about time you woke up." Said Raven.

Beast Boy realized the position he was in and jumped to his feet immediately. Robin and Starfire were giving him funny looks from the kitchen. After a moment of awkward silence, Starfire began to giggle and Beast Boy blushed.

"Uh… Meditate…" He said and promptly left the other three Titans in the common room.

'Chill out man… One… Two… Three… Four… Five…'

By the time he realized where he was going, he was already at the door to the roof. He slowly opened it and was struck with the hot and slightly humid air. There was a gently breeze coming off of the ocean though so it was tolerable. He sat near the edge of the roof and crossed his legs. He'd never meditated in the true sense of the word before but he'd seen Raven do it hundreds of times before.

Clearing his mind, he began to chant those familiar words he'd heard her say so many times before his body began to lift itself off the roof of the tower.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…" He said in a slow and calm voice.

Though he enjoyed being with Raven, it was nice to be by himself. He was absolutely certain that he didn't want to hang around in the common room with Robin and Starfire since they saw him and Raven. He was sure that Robin would have another comment ready about his 'clingy' behavior involving Raven but he'd rather have him say it when she was not around.

He'd hadn't meditated for very long but he felt that his mind had been cleared.

'Raven's probably still in the common room with the others… I wonder what Cyborg's up to.'

No sooner than he finished his thoughts, the metallic Titan in question came through the stairway door.

"What's up BB?"

"Not much. I just came up here to relax." He said. "What are you doing up here?"

"I was going to set up the barbeque. Thought it would be nice to have dinner on the roof tonight." He explained.

"Dinner already? What time is it?"

Cyborg looked at his arm where the time was digitally displayed. "Only 4:30, but I'm trying to get as far away from Star and Rob as possible. I stopped by the training room after you showed up to ask Robin if he wanted to play some game station, but he and Starfire were being sickeningly cute. I mean, they were doing the baby talk thing with each other!"

"They're not doing that all over the place now are they?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, that's not the reason I'm avoiding them either. When I walked in and heard the baby talk, I made a comment that fearless leader seemed to take offence to." Cyborg let out a laugh. "Now he's threatened to make both me and my baby scrap metal."

"So why aren't you protecting your car?"

"Why would I need to? That little spiky-haired punk knows that if he even looks at her funny, I'll knock him back to last Tuesday." He said.

"Uh huh." Said Beast Boy as he approached the stairway. "I'll be in my room, could you please give me a call when dinners ready?"

Cyborg flashed him the thumbs up and he left.

'So what do I do until dinner?' He thought.

He continued on toward his room and thought about taking a short nap. What was the harm? It's not like there was much of anything else to do. He could practice using his powers some more; that would be a more productive use of his time.

He was just about to enter his room when Robin called him.

"Hold on a second Beast Boy."

'Great what smart comment is he going to come up with now?'

"Yes?" He asked simply.

"Here's that jacket I was telling you about." He said handing him a dark jacket. "Like I said before, it's made out of the same stuff my capes are so it can absorb the brunt most hits. It's also really effective at dispersing heat so fire won't be that big a deal."

Beast Boy accepted the jacket and studied it. It was heavier than it looked and was slightly worn, other than that, it looked like a perfectly normal jacket.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He said as he began to walk towards the common room again but stopped. "Oh I almost forgot. Do you think you're going to be sleeping on Raven from now on?"

Beast Boy gave his friend a cold glare and Robin gulped slightly, he continued though.

"All I'm say is that if you are, you may want to take it to one of your rooms." He finished with an amused grin.

"Sure." Beast Boy replied. "We'll do that as long as you and Star keep the baby talk in _your_ rooms."

Robin's grin was wiped from his face so fast that Beast Boy was sure there was muscle damage.

"Cyborg's a dead man!" Breathed Robin as he ran off toward the roof.

* * *

Hello again everyone! I am so **_soooooooooooooooooooooo_** sorry that this update took so long. I've given my reason above but I was also struck with a terrible case of writers block. I've managed to overcome that troublesome obstacle and my updates should be back to their regularly scheduled times. 

All I can say about the road trip is that it was awesome! If you ever have a chance to do something similar, I say jump on it!

I felt that this chapter was ok. An over all C+ anyway. It wasn't a cliffy but I decided to save that for the next chapter. Trust me when I say this, chapter eleven will be awesome with a horribly mean cliffhanger at the end.

As for cans of coke… I needed seven for this chapter! That does sound like a lot but I needed three just to break the writers block. Oh well, I think the brave little guys did there part.

Apparently there's some deal about posting review responses in your story. I don't really know what it's about but I'll hold off until I find out for sure. Either way, you'll know by chapter eleven if I'm allowed to do them any more. Thanks for all the reviews!

Special thanks to acosta pérez josé ramiro for suggesting the Dr. Light idea, I think it will turn out quite well.

Again, it would help immensely if you could give a little feedback on what I discussed at the beginning of the chapter. I appreciate it very much!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!

P.S. Congratulations to whomever caught the Poe references. Oh 'tis true, I'm a sucker for the classics.


	11. Misunderstandings And Tea

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

First off, I'd like to tank everyone for their reviews! Several people have informed me that review responses and author's notes are only allowed to be one page long. It's very unfortunate seeing as my review responses often go on for two or three pages… I hate to do this but from now on I will only be answering direct questions. Even with that I'm sure it will go over a page but guess what? I'll do it anyway!

As for those of you who guessed Stephanie was my girlfriend, I'm happy to inform you that you are correct! Hero cookies for all! I did let her name slip a couple of chapters back (When I still had an uber crush on her…) Besides, I know that Dan has been attracted to Clair for the better part of our high school lives; he tends to fall apart when it comes to asking her out though. I'm not exactly the best judge in a situation like that but I think Clair likes him too. (Like Robin and Starfire much?)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Beast Boy was in his room idly levitating objects in different directions. It was pretty simple but he thought it would be better to do that than nothing at all. He may have only been practicing for five minutes, but boredom was beginning to set in.

'Ok… So I've done the levitating thing. What now?'

The darkly dressed Titan lost his focus and all the objects dropped from the air. He was getting restless and it reminded him of his old self. What would he have done about boredom before the switch? Well, he probably would have played on the game station with Robin or Cyborg. If that weren't an option, he'd have pulled a prank on one of the two aforementioned Titans. He never pulled pranks on Starfire of Raven; that was because it was something they didn't laugh about. When one of his pranks backfired and Starfire was on the receiving end, she hadn't understood and thought he was a jerk. He long ago stopped trying to pull pranks on Raven because they most often resulted in his bodily injury.

Unfortunately these things often brought up emotions, and right now he couldn't afford to feel emotions. Is that all he used to do? No. He used to rot away in front of the television but he had no desire to do that right now.

'There has to be something I can do…' He thought.

The only other thing he spent his time doing was trying to get Raven to smile. She was doing that now though so he was left with nothing to do. Nothing to do short of continue to practice…

Beast Boy sighed and raised his hands again, this time he thought about forming a shield but only in front of his hands. He spoke the magic words and misty darkness seemed to flow more quickly than it had when he made an entire bubble. Was it because he was using less energy? He didn't know, but it always seemed to happen almost instantaneously when Raven did it.

He moved his hands back and forth and a dark streak of energy was left in their wake for a short time. He moved his hand quickly to one side and a long streak remained for a moment before fading away to nothingness.

'So that's how she does it.' Beast Boy thought. 'It's a lot easier than making a whole shield.'

:-:-:-:-:

Raven paced around her room as she thought about what she'd say to Beast Boy. She had finally decided that she would do something about her feeling, but now she had to figure out what that something was.

'What am I supposed to do? Do I ask him out or is he supposed to ask me out?' Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. 'Stupid question, I told him I had to sort out my feelings. The fact remains that I need to tell him something. So do I tell him I love him?'

"What I wouldn't give to be able to talk to my emotions right now." She said as she eyed her hand mirror that was now the portal to Beast Boy's mind. "Damn it, I need some tea."

She made her way to the living room to find it empty.

'I guess they're up on the roof setting up for the barbeque.' She thought.

After placing the kettle on the stove, she pulled out her tealeaves and grabbed the teapot. A nice hot cup of green tea would be just the thing to relax her tensed nerves. She reached up for a mug but thought for a moment.

'Maybe Beast Boy would like one too. Then we could talk and I could just let things come naturally.'

Raven was surprised at her own impulsive thought. She usually liked to have things planned out before she tried anything. It seemed a little dumb to go in and try to talk without having a plan, but she wasn't coming up with anything else. She took two mugs down and pulled the almost-boiling kettle from the stove. She poured the water into the teapot where the tealeaves rested and waited for it to steep. Steam swirled out from the spout in delicate white wisps and Raven inhaled the pleasant scent.

Raven had always liked herbal tea. She didn't know what it was about it, but everything related seemed nice. Even shopping for it was enjoyable despite the fact that she disliked shopping. She didn't dislike all shopping though, there were two stores in Jump City where she liked to spend time. Both were small, secluded, and had a certain air of tradition to them that Raven found quite welcoming. One was a store where she purchased her loose leaf teas, and the other was an old bookstore that stocked older books. She loved the way both of the stores smelled, the must of the old books and the mixes of dried teas gave them a refined quality.

She poured the tea into the two mugs and made off for Beast Boy's room.

'Here goes nothing.' She thought as she tapped the door with her foot.

"Yes?" Came his muffled voice from within.

"It's me." She said. "Can we talk?"

There was a slight shuffling behind the door and it slid open. He looked at her and the two mugs she held with a hint of questioning that was only revealed by the practically undetectable tilt of his head. He soon after moved out of the doorway and gestured for her to come in. His room was surprisingly clean as compared to its normal appearance; it had only been half cleaned the last time Raven had entered. Now, the floor was practically spotless, save for a few objects that where scattered on it next to his bed.

He gestured for her to sit down and eyed the two mugs of steaming liquid when Raven held one up to him.

"Would you like one?" She asked.

He nodded and took the hot tea from her. He didn't say any words of thanks, but he flashed her a small smile. That one small smile of his meant more than a few words of thanks ever would and Raven smiled warmly back. The pale teen blew across the steaming liquid and took a short sip.

"Well?"

:-:-:-:-:

He brought the mug close to his mouth and felt the warm steam lick past his face. He inhaled the earthy scent and blew gently. His breath created frantic ripples in the surface and the steam seemed to leap away from him. After having gone this far into the uncharted waters, Beast Boy gently lifted the warm cup to his lips and took a tentative sip. The warm liquid flooded his senses and he let the calming flavor overtake him.

"Well?" She asked in a way that seemed to need his approval.

Beast Boy took another sip before he exhaled contentedly.

"It's nice." He confessed.

"Yea…" She agreed.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well…" She hesitated. "I think I've sorted out my feelings…"

Beast Boy waited for her to continue but it seemed as though she would not.

'Does this mean she doesn't like me back?' He anxiously thought.

She emotions she was casting off were confusing. He could feel her apprehension, a little confusion, and a few more that he couldn't identify. The overall feeling was an unpleasant and somewhat suffocating one. His insides twisted at the prospect of what that meant. Was she tense about what she was about to tell him? That could mean anything… Right now though, Beast Boy was certain that it meant she did not care for him in the way he cared for her. He bowed his head slightly and took another sip of tea in an attempt to rid himself of the growing lump in his chest.

Some of the objects he had been levitating glowed a threatening black but Beast Boy didn't really notice or care. The fact that Raven didn't feel the same for him as he did for her was the only thing he knew at the moment. He felt his sadness and something in the back of his mind told him that this was something he wasn't allowed so he did his best to quell the horrid feeling.

"And what have you decided?" He asked in a quiet voice that sounded very much like that of a scared child.

"I… I think…"

That was it. The words she couldn't say told Beast Boy everything he needed to know. Why did it have to be this way? Did life truly not want to afford him this one happiness? That had to be it. To be able to freely love and be loved in return by Raven would be too much. Despite how desperately he wanted it, it would always be something out of his reach. It would always be there though; she would always be there just hanging out of his reach, as if to taunt him.

He wasn't angry with her though. It was he who was at fault. Something he had done had driven her away. He felt his despair returning but he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't _want_ to do anything about it. He just closed his pale gray eyelids in an attempt to hold back the tears he knew would come. One managed to break through the barrier though and trickled slowly down his face until it hung on his chin. It then fell and landed it the half empty cup of still-steaming liquid.

"It's alright Raven. I know that dealing with emotions is new to you and I shouldn't have pushed you. I know that you don't feel the same about me so I'm sorr-" Beast Boy was cut off as Raven's green lips pressed against his pale ones.

:-:-:-:-:

"Well… I think I've sorted out my feelings…" She said and tried to continue.

Her words failed her though and she just looked into Beast Boy's eyes. They looked right back at her but they didn't seem to see her. He looked very deep in thought but a look of dread set itself in his features. Did that mean he thought she was rejecting him? She desperately tried to speak again but her vocal cords seemed to not function. Only air silently passed by her lips as she tried to vocalize her feelings for him.

Some of the items that were scattered around the floor haphazardly began to gently shake with a black aura but they stopped shortly after, casting off their black energy. Raven watched as Beast Boy bowed his head and looked mournfully down at his tea.

"And what have you decided?" He asked.

'He's scared?'

"I… I think…" Again the words failed to come

'Damn it! Why can't I tell him how I feel?' She thought.

She saw the hint of tears in the former changeling's eyes as a sheen of moisture grew over the two emerald pools. He closed his eyes tightly as though to stop them but a single tear made it's way past. It trickled slowly down his cheek until it dangled on his chin. It stayed suspended momentarily before falling into his cup of tea and gentle ripples grew from where the tear hit the water.

"It's alright Raven." He sadly said. "I know that dealing with emotions is new to you and I shouldn't have pushed you. I know that you don't feel the same about me so I'm sorr-"

Raven couldn't tell him in words how she felt for him, so she let her actions speak for her. She kissed him fully on the lips and pushed him back a little. He pulled back a moment after and looked into her eyes, his were still glistening with potential tears. His eyes seemed to search for something that only he could find and when he did, some moment of understanding passed between the two of them and a sort connection was made. No words were spoken but Raven threw her arms around his neck and began to fiercely kiss him. Beast Boy didn't hesitate a second longer and reciprocated her actions, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up onto his lap.

Beast Boy broke their deeply passionate kiss shortly after and looked around the room.

"And why has nothing exploded?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Raven looked around the room as well and noticed nothing had moved.

"I'm not really sure…" She then let out a small giggle and pushed him down on the bed they were both sitting on. "Does it really matter though?"

Beast Boy shrugged and gave her a very full and pleasant smile. "I guess not."

He then pulled her down to him and kissed her once again.

:-:-:-:-:

A large chorus of happy cheers echoed throughout the vastly differing landscape that was Beast Boy's mind. All of Beast Boy's emotions, even some of the less agreeable ones were celebrating albeit in different ways. Happy was hopping around in circles and spun with any emotion that ventured too closely. Knowledge was tearing through piles of books as though he were franticly looking for something, while Wisdom sat closely by with a smile on his face. Even Timid had managed to smile and converse with his fellow emotions.

"So… Does this mean that Raven's our girlfriend?" He asked Bravery.

"Hmm… You know, I'm not sure." He replied. "But I'll be damn if I'm not going to make Beast Boy ask her out tonight!"

Something tapped lightly on the shoulder of the emotion dressed in brown.

"Uh… W-Wisdom?" Asked a wavering and uncertain voice.

"Yes Fear?" Wisdom asked gently.

"D-Do you th-think Raven will come here again?"

"I don't know." He said. "But it would be nice to speak to her again."

"Yea."

Off in another, far less pleasant part of Beast Boy's mind, a solitary emotion fell to his knees on the dusty ground. The red sky and dirt of the surrounding cliffs reflected the crimson of his clothing perfectly. He wanted to fight, he wanted to break free and tear through this mind like a hurricane but his strength had left him.

Rage had his eyes on the ground ahead of him and tears were freely flowing down his face. What was the point of fighting now? The one he loved, the one that was supposed to return his love, had confessed her love for _him_. He had no reason to go on, no reason left to live.

"Why?" He quietly breathed.

'**Do you understand now? This is why she must be destroyed.'**

'NO! It doesn't matter!' He boldly thought back. 'There's nothing you can do to make me hurt her!'

'**Soon, young one, soon you shall see the power of Trigon the Terrible. And when you do, you will know the full extent of what I can and cannot do. As this boy is now my portal to Earth, so are you my portal to his mind.'** He told Rage malevolently. **'My daughter will be among the very first to perish painfully at my hands for stopping me the first time.'**

"I'll sooner die than let you lay a finger on her." Rage stated out loud with all of his resolve.

**'Believe me when I say, I will take control whether you like it or not. Make it easy on yourself and just let it happen.'**

Rage stood but did not fight against his bindings. He had a new reason to fight, one that was far more important than making others suffer. He was again called upon to protect Raven. It didn't matter if he couldn't be with her, he was the only one strong enough to protect her. If he were to fail, the other emotions would fall like a house of cards and only Beast Boy would be left to protect her. He was weak, pathetic, insignificant, and he would surely fall like the others.

This wasn't for him, it was for Raven. As long as Rage drew breath, he wouldn't let Trigon get anywhere near Raven.

"Fuck you Trigon."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy held Raven snuggly against his chest and breathed in the delicious scent of her hair. Though his senses were dulled, he could pick up her sweet scent of lavender, the smell of her herbal teas, and a weak must of her old books. That perfect combination made him happier than he ever thought possible. She gently nuzzled her face into his shirt and he began to stroke her hair.

"I love you Raven." He said with all his heart.

"I love you too Beast Boy. I love you so much." She squeezed him tighter as she said this. "I was so scared when you jumped off the bridge… I don't ever want to loose you."

"You never will."

Raven murmured something indistinguishable and it looked as though she was falling asleep. Beast Boy tucked a dark green lock of hair that had fallen across her face behind her pointed ear and smiled. She was amazingly beautiful. He began to rub her back and a large smile spread across her face. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled it close to her.

"You're so beautiful Rae, I always want to see you smile." He said.

She giggled something as a reply and nuzzled into him a little more.

"You're laugh is like music to my ears."

He received more incoherent sleep talk as a reply.

"You're so smart and you're really funny, no matter what you say."

"Some people are trying to sleep here. Do you think you can shut up?" Asked Raven as she brought her violet eyes to meet his emerald one.

Beast Boy gave a little chuckle and then spoke in a playful voice. "Are you going to make me?"

"You bet." She said, kissing him once again.

A loud banging from the metal door rang throughout the room startling the two Titans on the bed.

"Yo BB! Dinners up!" Came Cyborg's loud voice. "Tell Raven to come too if you see her."

"Yea, I'm coming." He said, then he turned to the green girl in his arms and whispered. "Remind me to kill Cyborg later."

"Definitely." She said as she rose from the bed. "Want to go eat?"

"No. But we should make an appearance anyway."

Beast Boy looked at the clock and saw that it was already 7:15PM. They walked down the hallway toward the stairwell. He reached over and took her hand in his, offering her a small smile. A wave of warmth washed over the pair as the outside air stuck them. It had begun to cool off but it was still very warm as compared to the conditioned air of the tower. Beast Boy could smell the sickly sweet scent of recently grilled meats and saw the table laden with them.

There was more than just meat there though, it looked as if Cyborg had been courteous enough to make him a couple of his veggie burgers and some tofu dogs. The rest of the Titans were sitting around the table and had already began to eat. Starfire was the first to notice their arrival and put down the mustard bottle she was drinking from when she did.

"You have arrived Friends!" She happily exclaimed then looked down to their hands, which were still clasped together. "Are you two doing the 'going out'?"

At this, both Cyborg and Robin looked up from their meals. Beast Boy blushed slightly and did his best to stay calm. He wasn't sure of the answer himself and he looked to Raven for guidance.

"I'm not sure Star." She said squeezing Beast Boy's hand. "I guess we're going to find out soon enough."

"Marvelous!" She said, leaping from her seat and giving them both a bone-crushing hug.

"Alright BB!" Cyborg cheered and held up his hand. "High five!"

Beast Boy looked at him blankly for a moment but eventually slapped the palm of his metallic friend with the enthusiasm he would have used before the change. As a result of this unchecked emotional display, Cyborg's half eaten burger began to rise off of his plate.

'Crap! One… Two… Three… Four… Five…' He internally counted. 'Wait… I was getting a heck of a lot more emotional with Raven and nothing happened. Why is the power going off now?'

"Oh, sorry man."

It was apparent the Cyborg was a little saddened by the slump of his shoulders and tone of voice, but the emotions hit Beast Boy much like the warm air of outside had. He could understand why he was saddened. Cyborg was his best friend, he used to do all that pointless fun stuff with him. Had it been playing on the game station or pulling some kind of prank on Robin, even battling one another about what was truly classified as food in the mornings. Beast Boy did wish that he could do all the old things he used to be able to do with him, but things had changed.

"It's alright." He replied. "How about we get something to eat?"

:-:-:-:-:

Dr. Light looked down the shaded alley with apprehension. It was still the middle of summer so it was light out until 10:00PM but the little shadow was still there. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 8:30, precisely the time he'd agreed upon. Why had he agreed to meet him in a dark alley though? He'd have to tough it out for the moment, because it would soon be all over. All the fear would melt away when she was dead.

"Hello?" He called into the alley.

'He'd better have shown up.'

"Come in here. Get out of sight of the street." Said a voice from the shadows.

Every fiber of his being screamed out against what he was about to do and temporarily held him in place. It still wasn't safe, they could strike at any moment. The sooner he dealt with it though, the sooner it would be safe.

'Just get it over with damn it.'

He took a step forward and entered the darkness.

"Did you bring the money?"

"Y-Yea." Dr. Light mumbled and he hurriedly tried to remove the wad of bills from his pocket. "H-Here you go."

The man took the money from him and then opened the bag he was carrying. He drew a handgun from within and a box of ammunition along with it.

"Here. It's only a 9mm but it still packs a punch. Semi automatic with a 12 shot clip capacity. There's another clip in the box too." He said. "If you don't mind my asking, what are you going to do with it?"

Dr. Light examined the firearm in his hand for a moment and then put it into his pocket.

"I'm going to take care of something that's been haunting me for a long time." He said.

* * *

So there you have it. I did want to have a fight scene and some action in the end of this but the writing took me in another direction. It contained some of that fluff that I love of so much so I'm fairly pleased with it. This was a little bit shorter than I had hoped but it's here nonetheless. 

I'm not sure if that last part made sense to some of the American readers what with the right to bear arms and all (I'm really not sure how that works so forgive me if I goofed up) but Dr. Light was purchasing a firearm illegally. In Canada, you require a license to purchase a firearm but I don't think that's the same in the US… Oh well, my excuse is that he's a convict and he cannot legally purchase one because of it. (Or does right to bear arms apply to those convicted of a crime as well?)

Poor Cyborg, everyone seems to be getting hooked up but him! On top of that, he best buddy can't joke around with him anymore… I'm thinking about getting Cyborg hooked up with Jinx, what do you think about that? That'll only happen if I make this story longer than I had planned though.

And on the topic of making the story longer, I'd like a little of your feedback on something. Up to this point, the story has been fairly light. And by that I mean there haven't been and major topics dealt with. With this upcoming fight with Dr. Light, I was thinking about doing something that would deal with the topic of murder. Not in the sense of a character death (Definitely not any of the Titans anyway) but something that the Titans have to deal with in that way. This would make the story longer and probably give me a chance to pair Cyborg up. In the end I know it's my call to make, and I'll probably do it anyway but I thought I'd get your feedback on the subject.

I took four cans of Coke to write this chapter. I think they did their part and I'm proud of the little guys.

As for reviews, I'm damn near speechless… If anyone had told me that this story would get over three hundred reviews when I was writing the first chapter, I would have told them that they were stark raving loony. It has though and I'm very grateful. It saddens me that I can no longer reply to you all individually but I will do my best to answer all of your questions.

First off, thanks to everyone. I have not received one unpleasant review from anyone! You have all been incredibly supportive and it warms my heart to know that there are still good people in the world.

(Also thanks to anyone who pointed out spelling or grammatical errors. I know I should read my stories through before I post them but sometimes I neglect to do so…)

I can agree that Beast Boy is not very knowledgeable, but I believe that he is wise beyond his years. He's not the brightest all the time (Or anytime for that matter), and often follows the motto 'leap before you look' but he does hold great wisdom in the fact that he knows when to drop the clown act and support his friends. I think he's the kind of 'glue' that holds the team together.

I also agree that Rage is not truly evil but is simply aggressive in the way it lives and sees others. Though Rage does hate Beast Boy for his weakness, that is simply because he believes that it's survival of the fittest. He too loves Raven as all of Beast Boy's emotions do so it enrages him that the one he loves is with Beast Boy. Not only for the fact that he loves Raven and hates Beast Boy's weakness, but because he feels Beast Boy is too weak to protect Raven from possible harm.

I know it seems that Beast Boy can handle Raven's powers with relative ease, but I wanted to portray how he has a strong will and isn't just the joker everyone seems to take him for. This in no way means to show that Raven doesn't have what it takes to handle Beast Boy's powers, but again to show that it takes a lot more than the others think to be the little green guy.

I'm pleased to see that I have astute readers. I was about to have Beast Boy say that a Bull is an effective creature in battle but I had to take a second to realize that there's no such thing as a female bull! It's unfortuenate that nature deemed male animals the stronger of the sexes because this leaves Raven at a disadvantage. She may not be as versatile as Beast Boy was but she still has an amazing power to her. Have you ever gotten between a female bear and her cub? If you have, you're lucky to be reading this.

I've unfortunately not had the pleasure of reading any of the Teen Titan comics so I've pieced my knowledge of their universe together from the television show, cross-referenced information in fanfics, and what I find while browsing sites on the Internet. Having said this, if any of my information is incorrect, I would only be too happy to fix it should you point it out to me.

I think that's covered most of it… I'm still really disappointed by this so I think I'll go back to the way I did them before, answering each review individually. You were all kind enough to write me something, I should be kind enough to reply. Yep! I will reply to each review for chapter twelve on! Rules be damned!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	12. A World Of Her Own

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

First of all, I want to apologies for saying that Raven was at a disadvantage because female animals are less powerful than male animals. I was trying to make the observation that nature tends to make males physically strong as so they can out do other males and perpetuate their genes. I should have said that Raven will have to use her power in a different way than Beast Boy did. It is true that female animals are just as resilient, and often more so resilient than their male counterparts, so Raven is at no disadvantage.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Raven rolled over in her large bed and thrust her covers aside. She wasn't sure why she had awoken but she had a sort of happy tingling feeling all over. What was it that was making her feel this way? She smiled as the events of the day past came back to her. She had confessed her feelings for Beast Boy.

It was an amazing feeling to love someone and know they love you back. It was something she had never known. Sure, there was Malchior but he was different. He made her feel something she hadn't felt before but it wasn't love. Love is something that two people experience; it's not the same as being attracted to someone who lied to you with every word he spoke. What she felt now was love, and she had a feeling of exhilaration that brought seemingly boundless energy with it.

Raven looked to her clock on her bedside table and saw that it was 10:13AM.

'How about that? I managed to wake up before noon.' She thought.

The other Titans were probably already awake so Raven decided to take a quick shower before she had here late breakfast. She grabbed a clean leotard from her closet and made off for the washroom. She had stopped wearing her bulky cloak soon after she had begun transforming. She did feel exposed without it, but it was a great annoyance to have to cast it off before and pick it up after she transformed. Maybe she'd get a full body suit like Beast Boy had.

Raven was nearly at the washroom door when Starfire came out of it. A large cloud of steam followed her and her damp red hair was bundled up in a towel. He face adorned a large smile the moment she saw Raven.

"Greetings Friend! It is good to see you have awoken before we have had lunch!"

"Yea." Said Raven with a laugh. "I guess this is early for me. I thought you showered as soon as you got up. What are you doing waking up so late?"

Starfire blushed and smiled a little wider. "Robin and I stayed up late to watch the stars. I did not get to bed until very late."

"That's good to hear. What does Robin have planned for us today?"

"He has not mentioned anything." She said, looking off into space with a dreamy gleam in her eyes. "What do you and Friend Beast Boy have planned?"

"It looks like more training… But then again, that's more alone time with him for me!"

Raven's uncharacteristic outburst seemed to shock Starfire because she was completely silent. After shaking off whatever state of shock she was in, she squealed happily and placed Raven in one of her overpowered hugs.

"It is joyous to see you so happy Raven!" She exclaimed.

"Star…" Raven choked. "Breathing…"

:-:-:-:-:

Sweat trickled down the back of Beast Boy's neck and down his bruised back as he increased the speed on the treadmill. The training room was air-conditioned but he'd long ago thrown aside his shirt, as it was doing nothing but holding sweat to his body. He'd been training since 7:00AM for lack of anything better to do. So he may not have had his powers totally under control, but that's all he'd been working on for the past few days. He still needed to keep in shape even if he didn't need to go hand-to-hand in combat.

It hadn't been long into his training session that he was joined by Robin and then Cyborg. It was common for Robin to get up with the sun and go about his daily routine of training and research, he was very meticulous about everything he did so it didn't surprise Beast Boy in the least to see him there. Cyborg was a different story, he would usually finish recharging right about the time breakfast was being made. Every morning without fail, he'd start cooking up a heaping pile of meat to go along with whatever else was being made for breakfast.

He was in the training room now though, and he was bench-pressing a very large amount of weight. There was a certain gloom emanating from him, not at all his usual fun loving self. Robin was laying in to the punching bag with quick series of jabs and kicks and was making light conversation with the other Titans. Cyborg only replied to direct questions and even then his answers were curt and left little to build a conversation on.

"What do you guys think about pizza for lunch?" Robin asked. "I thought we could stop by the pizza place and maybe catch a movie if there's nothing going on in the city."

"Sure." Replied Beast Boy between breaths. "Sounds good."

Cyborg just grunted in acknowledgement.

Robin gave Beast Boy a concerned look about Cyborg's unusual behavior and Beast Boy finally decided to do something about it.

"What's up Cy? And don't tell me it's nothing, I can feel the depressed emotions you're giving off." He said as he continued to run.

Beast Boy was sure he knew what was to come. There had been some big changes and now he wasn't permitted to do all the fun stuff he used to with Cyborg. If Beast Boy ever did manage to get up before lunch, he would usually play a couple rounds with Cyborg on the game station or just come up with whatever their combined imaginations could; such as 'Stankball'. It had never really occurred to Beast Boy, but now that Robin was spending a great deal of his time with Starfire, and Beast Boy was spending most of his time training with Raven, his best friend was very much alone.

"It's not that big a deal." Said Cyborg as he set the weights on the holder. "It's just a little different now that you can't fool around like you used to."

Beast Boy looked in the direction of his metallic friend and saw that he was now looking at him.

He nodded in reply. "I know. I'm sorry I can't do the things I used to, but I'm not exactly allowed to have fun…"

"Yea…" Cyborg replied and looked at the clock. "It's already 10:30, I think I'll start breakfast."

He got up off of the weight bench and tossed the towel he'd been using as a sweat rag to the side. He began to walk out when Beast Boy called to him.

"You'd better be planning on making some non-meat foods."

"You wish little man." He said with a hint of the old cheerful Cyborg in his voice, again turning for the door.

The sweaty towel that Cyborg had discarded became enveloped in a dark aura and sailed across the room, nailing its intended target. The surprised target turned back around and looked at Beast Boy with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Beast Boy mustered all the control he had and gave him one of the toothiest grins he could manage. That seemed to get the astonished Titan out of his stupor.

"You're going to have a hard time finding your fake 'food' when you get around to making your breakfast." He said with a full smile on his face.

"Do your worst." The empath called after the leaving Titan.

Beast Boy hit the off switch on the treadmill and it slowed to a stop. He grabbed a towel of his own and began to wipe the sweat from his face. Robin had stopped his exercises with the punching bag the whole time the other two Titans were conversing and just watched.

"Good going Beast Boy." Robin commented. "Cyborg has kind of been in a funk for a little while."

"Yea, I think we've been ignoring him a bit. I've been fairly busy training with Raven, and you and Star have been pretty much inseparable since the other day."

Robin gulped and looked like he was trying to come up with some comeback when his eyes moved and rested on something behind him. "Uh… Beast Boy?"

"Yes?"

Robin pointed to the large weights that Cyborg had been lifting a moment ago. They were now glowing with Beast Boy's dark energy and floating about a foot above the stand they had been previously resting on.

"Aww man…"

:-:-:-:-:

Raven had entered the kitchen to find Starfire and Cyborg cooking. There were some very odd smells coming from the stove and the steam from the hot shower seemed to only clear out her nostrils and sharpen her sense of smell further. There was the tell tale scent of Cyborg's assorted meats and something unidentifiable from a bizarre concoction that Starfire must have been making.

Cyborg placed his breakfast on the table and then moved to the refrigerator with an evil grin on his face.

"Lets see if he's so cocky without his precious tofu." He muttered.

"What are you doing Cyborg?" Raven asked.

"Just a little revenge." He said, not looking up from the fridge. "The little squirt was practically begging for it."

"And what did you have in mind for this 'revenge'?"

"I'm going to hide all of his fake food. Not just in the bottom of he fridge this time though, oh no, this stuff's going down to the basement!"

"Have you considered that other people may want some tofu?" She asked in a level voice.

At this, Cyborg stopped what he was doing and turned around fully to face Raven.

"Are you feeling alright Raven? I mean, this is BB _fake food_!"

"I'm fine, but tofu really isn't that bad. You should try it sometime."

Cyborg groaned. "Great. He's gotten to you too now."

He gave up his attempt to rid the refrigerator of meat substitutes and began to eat his breakfast. Raven looked through the fridge and picked up the package of tofu eggs and began to make some.

'Maybe I can surprise Beast Boy with breakfast.' She happily thought.

Just as she had begun to fry the artificial eggs, both Beast Boy and Robin walked in to the kitchen. Robin was wearing his usual uniform while Beast Boy was wearing his dark jeans and dark gray shirt. The sun struck the pale Titian in such a way that a shine glinted off of the crimson gem embedded in his forehead's chakra. Raven just stared at him as though it were the first time she was really seeing him. All of his features seemed more prominent and he looked a great deal stronger. A musky scent had become apparent the moment the living room doors opened and they seemed to knock out everything else in the world but Beast Boy. She was vaguely aware of a burning smell and some other sounds but they seemed to be miles away.

"Uh, Rae? I think whatever you're cooking is burning." Beast Boy said.

"Uh huh…" She replied, still too distracted to really hear him.

"No Rae. You're burning something!" He said, a little louder this time.

"Wha?" She finally shook off her trance and looked to the smoking pan behind her. "Ah!"

She quickly put the pan under the flowing water of the sink and sat down at the table.

'What the hell was that?' She thought, quite overwhelmed.

"Are you ok Raven?" Robin asked.

"Yea I'm fine. I guess I dozed off there for a minute." She lied.

Starfire looked at her and wore a warm expression that seemed to say she knew what Raven had been focusing on. She gave her a smile then gave Robin a peck on the cheek.

"What was that f-" Robin was cut off by the alarm before he could finish his question.

"Bank robbery." Cyborg read off of the computer. "Looks like it's the H.I.V.E."

"Titans GO!" Robin shouted.

:-:-:-:-:

The Titans arrived outside the bank and saw the shattered glass all over the sidewalk from the smashed doors. It looked as though all the people from within had already fled. Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth walked out of their forced opening and seemed oblivious to the Titans as they were too busy congratulating each other on a job well done.

"Don't you think it's a little to early to be congratulating yourselves?" Asked Robin.

"Crud! It's the Titans!" Came Gizmo's squeaky voice.

"Shut up." Jinx commanded Gizmo. "Pattern beta, now!"

"Titans GO!" Called out their masked leader.

Cyborg and Mammoth charged at one another and locked hands in a battle for physical dominance, while Starfire shot off after Gizmo who had just taken to the air on his metallic wings. Robin shot a grappling hook after him but it fell short. Beast Boy squared off against Jinx and Raven prepared to transform into a bear.

"So what happened to you two?" Jinx asked. "The new look is a little odd."

Raven changed into a grizzly bear and let out a loud roar as her reply. Beast Boy prepared himself for whatever hex the pink haired sorceress was going to send at them. Raven charged and her lumbering form covered the distance between them quickly. Jinx twirled to the side with her arms outstretched in a way that looked like she was almost dancing, waves of pink energy shot outward and struck the large beast she had just avoided.

As a result of the hex, Raven's massive paws slipped on the glass that covered the sidewalk and she fell headfirst through one of the banks unbroken windows.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Said Beast Boy, flinging a mailbox towards Jinx.

Again, she gracefully dodged the attack with the flowing grace of a dancer and lashed her arms towards the pale Titan.

"Nice try but it looks like your aim needs a little work." She taunted.

Beast Boy quickly called out his magic words once again and raised a small shield in front of him. It seemed to appear almost instantaneously and that was very satisfying to him, almost as satisfying as the fact that it blocked the hex that Jinx had thrown at him.

The sound of Gizmo's cackling interrupted Beast Boy and Jinx and the pintsized H.I.V.E. member shot between them. Starfire was in hot pursuit and was throwing starbolts all the while. Gizmo managed to dodge them all and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Ha! You stupid pit-sniffers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" He shouted.

Beast Boy prepared himself for another assault but was again cut off by one of the H.I.V.E. members.

"Got ya!" Came Mammoth's deep voice.

A moment after, Cyborg came flying through the air and landed roughly on the ground in front of Jinx.

"Hello Stone." She said with a bit of a cold tone in her voice.

"Hey Jinx." He said, looking up at her on his back from the ground. "So… How's that whole being evil thing working for ya?"

Jinx smiled. "It's fun, too bad you ditched us or you'd have known that."

Before he could reply Mammoth grabbed Cyborg by the feet and began to swing him around.

"This one's going out of the park." He chuckled.

A green grizzly bear leapt out of the bank and knocked Mammoth to the ground. This resulted in him releasing Cyborg, but because of the spinning motion, was sent air born. Gizmo came flying by again, this time he was dragging Robin by a grappling line behind him. The Titans leader looked like he was holding on for dear life and Gizmo was cursing some obscenities. Starfire flew close behind and was so focused on Gizmo that she was caught completely unaware when Cyborg knocked her out of the air.

Beast Boy watched the almost comical scene of his leader being pulled on a rope by what looked like a balled flying child but returned his attention to Jinx.

"As funny as this is, how about we go back to battling one another?" The sorceress asked.

"Lets." Replied Beast Boy.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven pushed against Mammoth in much the same way Cyborg had. She seemed to have the upper hand because though Mammoth had inhuman strength that seemed to match hers, she had a mouth full of very sharp teeth and a very powerful set of jaws. Mammoth was forced to dodge his head from side to side to avoid the green animals snapping maw.

"That's it!" Said Mammoth, apparently getting fed up.

He twisted to the side and let Raven fall forward. He quickly put the large bear in a headlock and held the wrestling beast to the ground.

'Damn! What am I supposed to do now?' Raven thought.

She then remembered what Beast Boy said about using animal forms to fight. What was it? The big powerful ones aren't always the best? Raven focused on the image of a monkey and quickly shrank. Having become a small monkey, she was able to nimbly slip from Mammoth's arms and swiftly climbed onto his back.

'Got you now you big dumb lug!' She triumphantly thought.

After becoming a grizzly bear again, she placed him in a headlock of sorts and pinned him to the ground. She looked up as she heard some of the other Titans shouting. Cyborg had managed to blast off one of Gizmo's wings and ground the bothersome pest. Robin was tying the slack from the grappling line around Gizmo and it looked like Cyborg was coming to her aid.

A sudden shriek distracted her. One of Jinx's hexes must have knocked Starfire out of the air because she dropped to the ground and slammed into Robin who had rushed to catch her. They both laid on the ground looking quite stunned. The moment's distraction was enough for Mammoth to worm his way out of her grip and knock her off of him.

She hit the ground a little dazed and reverted back to her human form. It looked as though Mammoth was quite pleased with himself as he approached the now much smaller Titan before him. He was struck in the head with a blue beam of sonic energy though, and hit the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Lets go help Beast Boy." Cyborg said, offering her a hand up.

"Yea." She responded after he hoisted her up.

It appeared that Beast Boy and Jinx had forgone combat at a distance and were now fighting in close quarters. Jinx seemed to be winning but Beast Boy was still hanging in there. The female H.I.V.E. member spun around with a kick but Beast Boy blocked it by moving his hand in front of him, creating a small streak of black in its wake.

Cyborg directed his sonic cannon toward the fighting duo but lowered it shortly after and transformed it back into his normal arm.

"I can't get a clear shot with BB that close." He said.

Somehow, Jinx had managed to gain the upper hand and sent Beast Boy hurtling into Cyborg. Raven quickly charged up to her in nothing but her human form but stopped a short distance away. They stared at one another for a long time, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Jinx apparently felt that the time to strike was that moment because she sent waves of her pink energy towards Raven.

Having little time to think, Raven leapt into the air and became the first bird she could think of; a raven. She then flew out of harms way and dove towards her adversary, transforming into a cougar as she landed. Jinx looked quite frightened and tried to back away. She met with the frame of the bank window though, and was forced to slide over sideways.

The two females circled each other for a moment before Jinx slipped on something and fell to the ground. Raven changed back into her normal self and leaned up against the corner of the bank wall confidently.

"Maybe you should try working to get the money next time." She said. "Why don't you just give up now and make it easier on all of us?"

Jinx sighed. "Fine, you win."

"Thank you for being so compliant." She smirked.

"Look out behind you!" Shouted Jinx, directing a finger behind her.

"Do you really think I'm going to fall for the oldest trick in the book?" Said Raven said disbelief.

An arm roughly grabbed Raven around the neck from behind and she could feel the cold barrel of a gun jammed up against her temple.

'Shit.'

"Make a move and your dead."

* * *

Ok! I know I'm a horrible person to leave it at such a cliffhanger but I could help it. Looks like Raven should have listened to Jinx eh? I know there are now two more H.I.V.E. members, Seemore and some shield guy but I didn't really think I'd add them. I know little about their powers (I guess the brief little bit from 'Mother May-Eye') and I just love the old trio so much more. 

There're a couple of things I'd like to explain, first of all the whole scene where Raven seems to go off into lala land about Beast Boy. Keeping in mind that Raven now has the heightened senses that Beast Boy used to; Raven had just taken a shower, and if you like your showers like I do (freaking hot!) they do a great job of clearing the sinuses. Now Beast Boy has been working out for about three hours so he's got the testosterone pumping and when Raven's nose caught a whiff of that, well animal attraction and Mother Nature in all her greatness tell the rest of the story.

Please forgive me if that's incorrect, but I didn't take biology in high school… (I was in Chem.) If that's not the way it works, please feel free to correct me.

The second would be where Raven uttered that final profanity there. I know it seems kind of self-explanatory but I had a little more reason behind it than just that. I was once hiking by myself and slipped on a little moss, I slid on the mossy ground doing my best to get some sort of handhold but I just got handfuls of moss. I was nearing the edge of a ravine where it was pretty much a straight drop for sixty feet. I was pretty damn sure I was going do fall to my death and I was expecting to see my life flash before my eyes or something like that but nothing came. The only thing that I seemed to be able to think to sum up my situation was "Shit". I had slid until my legs were hanging over the side of the ledge when my hand had managed to grab a hold of a small sapling (When I say small, I mean this thing was like six inches tall). It had happened to be just enough to stop me.

What did I learn from that ordeal? Don't hike alone if you don't know the trail.

Some people asked who the mysterious guy who sold the gun to Dr. Light was. Well, he was no one important, just a two-bit crook interested in making some money by selling illegal stuff. You know, like some smalltime drug dealer or something. We won't be seeing any more of him.

As for the Coke sacrificed for this chapter, I'm looking at a 2-litre bottle that has about a 6th of its contents left. It will be finished by the time the review replies are done.

Reviews!

Regrem Erutaerc: Thank you very much. I have something special planned for Jinx. I mean, she a bad guy sure, but she's not really evil in the true sense of the word. Thanks for reviewing.

Bogbrush: I was thinking about that but I felt his whole sneaking up when they weren't looking suited him better. You'll see what I was talking about when I say murder in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

SpazztheSlob: Thanks. Dr. Light is working alone. He just picked up a firearm from a two-bit thug. Thanks for reviewing.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

warprince2000: Thank you.

non-Christian: Thanks a lot. I'm glad you enjoy it.

Wolffike: Thank you very much. I'm glad you gave this one a chance.

CalliopeMused: Thank you very much for your kind review. Again, I meant no offense in say that Raven was at a disadvantage, I guess what I was getting at was that most male creatures tend to be large than females. That's not to say it holds true with every species but with some of them anyway. Like I said in the story though, bigger is NOT always better. I can't say I have met a female longhorn, my cousin does happen to be one of those select few who is dumb enough to jump on a bull to see how long it takes the beast to buck him off. And yes, being a male, I do know the 'anatomy' to which you are referring. Thanks for reviewing!

FantasyObsessed: Thanks for reviewing! I do like the CyxJinx pairing. There have been a few hints at it throughout the show and it just seems natural.

Rose Mage: Thanks for reviewing! You also wrote a review for "Not Who You Think I Am" and I take no offence whatsoever. I think that all guys, deep down anyway, are romantics at heart. Why is it something we should be ashamed of? Listen up guys! Girls love the romance stuff, so get your heads in the game! I hadn't considered the possibility of seduction… I'll have to see where the story goes. Thanks for the suggestion and for reviewing!

Phantom Moon: Thank you very much.

RonLuver2005: Thanks. Yea, I'm a sucker for the fluff too. I'm glad you like the CyxJinx idea, I'm going to roll with it.

IGAF-kun: Thank you very much. There will soon be some Beast Boy/Trigon interaction in the next couple chapters, we'll see how it goes. Well, This was sort of implied but not too strongly, Raven is basically just a green human who can change into animals now. The Beast was a part of Beast Boy, not his powers. Beast Boy is now part demon so I guess you could say he has two dark sides to fight (Plus Trigon, the poor little guy!). Chances are, I will put some more Rae/Rage moments in there. Thanks for reviewing.

doc-trigger: Oh well, KILL THE MAN! (And by that I mean fight the machine (And by that… Well you know what I mean)) I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I hate to tell you this, but I LOVE fluff. Not to worry though, I know when to draw the line, so this story won't turn into some sugar fest. I'm honored that you chose to read this story despite your dislike for romance. Thanks for your kind review.

acosta pérez josé ramiro: I think you're right about the love and control thing. When Raven thought she loved Malchior, she seemed to be able to express all the emotions she wanted to. It may take Beast Boy a little long to adjust to it though. I was thinking about making Beast Boy's clothes turn white but I'm not sure. I guess I'm still toying with the idea. Dr. Light doesn't exactly seem like the most honorable kind of guy, that's why I figured he would be the kind to go for a gun. Then again, I mean not to insult any villain but I made him mentally unbalanced in this fic, you'll see more of that in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

Mortal Guardian: Thanks for reviewing. As I said in the previous chapter, it does seem like Beast Boy is getting the hang of all his powers pretty quickly so I wanted to take it kind of slowly. Fear not though, he will harness the full reign of his powers before this fic ends. Thanks for reviewing.

Verya: Thank you very much. I enjoy writing this story and I am just as eager to see what happens next as you are. I had a good case of insomnia last night so I got down to writing the better part of this chapter. Better then laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. We'll have to wait to find out how Trigon gets his in the end. Thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: Thank you. I'm glad you like the story.

Starmay: Thanks for your vote of confidence and your review. I am going to do the CyxJinx thing so we'll just have to see how that goes.

Darkraven05: Thanks for reviewing. I love the fluff just as much as you (Probably more so). I'm a pretty big green tea drinker but I've never really considered whether green tea is herbal of not… I guess green tea is just green tea but I consider it more herbal than the Earl Grey crap anyway. (Blegh!)

darktank: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the story so far.

Overactive Mind: Thanks for your review and clearing that little firearm question up. I honestly have no problem with firearms, but I have no desire to own one. It's unfortunate that more people don't share a similar mindset. Oh well, life goes on.

DeadRose332: Thanks. I'm glad you like the story so far. I will be doing the CyxJinx thing so it will go a little longer than I thought. Meh, so long as people still enjoy it. Thanks for reviewing and answering my question.

Pastelstorm: Thanks. I'm glad you like where the story is going.

lol61188: Hurra for the fluff! Thanks for reviewing.

BrokenNevermore: Thank you very much. I too liked the kiss scene. It looks a little grim right now but not to worry! Things will get better (Sort of…) in the next chapter!

gladdecease: Agreed! I'll stick it to the man! Fight the power! Etc etc… I'm glad you like the story so far. I will do the CyxJinx thing, but that will not be the end of the conflict! I hate to tell you this, but I'm the kind of guy who LOVES the mushy fluff. I won't let the story turn into some sugary fluff fest though (As much as I might like to) I know that would just destroy all the work I've done up to this point. I hope my writing continues to be to your liking. Thanks for reviewing.

Titanwolf: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it so far.

Drow Judicator: I'm glad the story is to your liking. Thanks for reviewing.

superdave: Thanks for reviewing. No I do not mean as a mystery, more as a subject that they have to deal with because one of their own has committed it (Though it may have been in defense of another it still happened. I think you know what I'm talking about Hint Hint!). I'm glad you like the story so far.

loaned: I'm glad you like it.

pink-raven-rules: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked it.

teenyugiohpotterphantom: Thank you. I will soon remedy the Cyborg problem so all will again be good! Thanks for reviewing.

Loki14: Thank you! What do you mean by hurt though? I mean, jamming a gun into her temple can't have been that comfortable… Well, We'll have to wait until the next chapter to see what happens. Thanks for reviewing.

Said the Raven-nevermore-: Thank you very much! A review such as this never fails to put a smile on my face. I guess that situation is a bit predictable, but that was the angle I was going for. It just seemed like the most plausible situation. Thanks for your kind review!

craZy18gurl: Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I think you'll like what happens with Dr. Light. Thanks for reviewing and good luck on you math exam!

Thank you all for taking the time to read my story!

P.S. That was more like four pages for author's notes and reviews… Cross your fingers that this doesn't get deleted!


	13. For Love

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Ok, before I even begin to write this chapter, I'm going to say killing is wrong. Hell, if you have enough brains to read this, then that goes without saying. All humans know that killing is wrong. Sometimes it's not that simple though. What happens when it's a result of self-defense? I would be pretty shaken up if I were in a situation where it was either my life or the life of the attackers. What happens if it's not a result of self-defense though? What if to protect someone you love? In a situation such as this, I can honestly say that I would not hesitate to do whatever it took to keep my loved ones out of harms way. I know it's wrong to kill, so why wouldn't I hesitate when it came to protecting someone else? And why _would_ I hesitate when it came to protecting myself? I don't know. I hope that I will never have to know but that's just the way I feel.

While we're on the topic, if we know killing is wrong why do we protect those who have killed? Again, I know that killing and covering up a killing is wrong and there are laws against it. If I were to kill another human being, I think the guilt would eat me alive. I'm sure that I would turn myself in to the authorities as a result of that guilt. So why is it that I know I wouldn't hesitate for a second to protect my friends and family if it was one of them who killed? What is it that drives us to protect the ones we love without hesitation, but flinch when it comes to ourselves? This is something else I don't know. I can only speculate, but I believe that all humans are selfless in their true nature. It doesn't matter who you are, but I believe it is in human nature to protect others before we think of ourselves.

You can agree with me on this, or you can disagree with me on this I don't really care. I wrote this because it is what I believe. It may be wrong in your eyes, it may be wrong in the eyes of the law, but I'll be damned to die a million horrible deaths if there isn't at least a single person out there thinks the same way. I didn't write this to get flames so please don't waste your or my time with one. I wrote this to explain what is about to occur in the next couple upcoming chapters and why I feel the characters behave in the way they do.

Having said that, if any of you are reading this and feel a strong aversion to the subject, it would probably be in your interest to discontinue reading this story. This, and the next few chapters will be dealing with this subject. That's not to say it will be all blood and guts, to the contrary, it will not be very gory at all, but because it will be dealing with this subject in such a serious way that I'm not sure if I should up the rating of this story to mature. Please give me some feedback about the rating.

Now that that unpleasantness is over, do I still have any readers left? Here's chapter thirteen anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Dr. Light pushed Raven forward roughly until they were a few feet past Jinx. The Titans looked poised to strike but they were all hesitant. Raven's life was hanging in the balance.

"Anyone of you so much as moves and she's dead." He said, shaking the Titan in his arms.

Beast Boy was enraged. Someone was trying to hurt Raven. His Raven. This man was going to suffer; he was going to suffer so badly that a slow death would be a sweet release for him. The pale empath could feel something boiling inside him, consuming him. He lost all control of his body and fell to his knees. His skin felt like it was on fire and a fuzzy heat pressed on the inside of his skull.

Dr. Light just seemed to look at him slightly confused when his head snapped up and looked the hostage taker in the eyes. His dark green eyes had been replaced by two demonic crimson ones and he stood up straight. His shadow seemed to meld into him and he grew several feet. Dr. Light reeled back momentarily but regained control and gripped his gun tighter.

"Don't even think about it dark one. I'll pull the trigger before you even finish the first word in the spell." He spat. "Once she's gone, I'll be safe from the darkness, neither she or you will be able to hurt me then."

"Release her now and I'll kill you quickly." Ordered this demonic side of with deadly poison in his voice.

The three other Titans watched in horror as one of their friends was held at gunpoint and another became some frightening monster. Dr. Light was becoming more irrational by the second and he seemed to be getting more frightened.

"No. I'm so close to being free of this curse! None of you will stop me!" He said, jerking Raven backward. "Stay where you are! I said don't come any closer!"

"We're not moving." Robin stated in the calmest voice he could. "See? We'll just stay put here. Why don't you just put the gun down?"

"NO! Stay away! I'll kill her! I swear to god I'll kill her!"

:-:-:-:-:-:

Jinx had been petrified by the sight of what Beast Boy had turned into. What the hell was it? Those inhuman eyes were just so terrifying…

"Don't even think about it dark one. I'll pull the trigger before you even finish the first word in the spell. Once she's gone, I'll be safe from the darkness, neither she or you will be able to hurt me then."

'Safe from the darkness? This guy's fucking nuts!'

"Release her now and I'll kill you quickly." Came the deathly horrifying voice of whatever Beast Boy had become.

Dr. Light gripped the gun tightly again and stuck it to Raven's temple even harder. She let out a small whimper of fear and shut her eyes even tighter. The heels of his shoes ground glass shards into the street as he jerked the green Titan backwards with him.

"No. I'm so close to being free of this curse! None of you will stop me! Stay where you are! I said don't come any closer!"

'He's going to kill her.' She desperately thought.

"We're not moving. See? We'll just stay put here. Why don't you just put the gun down?" Came the calm voice of the Titan's leader.

Robin's words had the opposite effect of what he had intended and Dr. Light was becoming more paranoid.

"NO! Stay away! I'll kill her! I swear to god I'll kill her!"

Jinx had had it. Raven may have been a Titan, the H.I.V.E.'s adversary, but she'd never wish death on any of them. They fought, but they _never_ used lethal force. It was now or never, soon that psychopath would pull the trigger and it would be too late. She prepared a hex and slowly started to stand behind them. The broken glass from the bank window made a grinding noise against the pavement. The deranged hostage taker whipped around and screamed.

"I SAID STAY AWAY!"

He pointed the gun at the pink haired sorceress and fired.

:-:-:-:-:

"I SAID STAY AWAY!" Dr. Light screamed as he fired the gun.

Jinx let out anguished cry as she was knocked to the ground as a result of the bullet impact. The demon saw his moment to strike and he did. Out from his darkened shadow leapt a dozen tentacles of pure dark energy. One quickly wrapped itself around the hand that held the gun and broke the weapon from his grasp. The rest of these tentacles removed the crazed man from his Raven with lightening speed. Once he was free of her, the enrage demonic Beast Boy began to slowly pull Dr. Light toward his chaotically dark shadow.

The moment Dr. Light realized what was happening, he let out a horrified shriek and desperately tried to claw his way away from the dark Titans pull.

"NOT THE DARKNESS! ANYWHERE BUT THE DARKNESS!"

"You tried to hurt Raven. You tried to _kill_ Raven." Came the deep and terrible voice. "No one hurts Raven. You will suffer!"

The man was frantically clawing the ground to find anything that would stop of slow journey toward the demon Titan. As he blindly groped over the broken glass and pavement, his hand found the handgun that had been knocked away from him. His frenzied shrieks of fear stopped and he turned to face the darkness that was mere feet away from his legs.

"I'm not going back to that darkness! Never!" He shouted, firing the eleven remaining shots into Beast Boy's darkened shadow.

He could feel the searing hot lead tear through him but it didn't matter. This threat to Raven would soon be dead. He'd regret ever even thinking about hurting her. Dozens more of the inky tentacles lashed forward and wrapped themselves around Dr. Light.

"No one hurts Raven." He said with a wicked smile.

The man's mouth was covered in the dark energy so all that could be heard were muffled cries for release. His eyes were still exposed and they revealed the true horror he was experiencing. This would be most enjoyable, slowly killing him for what he tried to do. His smile was wiped from his face as he coughed a mouthful of blood.

'Damn it! It looks like I won't be able to kill him the way he deserves to die.' He coldly thought.

"Beast Boy! Let him go!" Robin shouted.

'He must be punished, no one hurts Raven.' He thought with the faintest of smiles.

The tentacles wrapped around Dr. Light's head were ferociously wrenched to the side and a sickeningly loud crack of snapping bone resounded throughout the street. The man's movements immediately stopped and all fell quiet. All short of the ragged breathing that was coming from the tall demon. The tense quite remained until all of the darkness dissipated and Beast Boy collapsed on the street. Blood pooled beneath him and was quickly flowing out through eleven holes that had been punched throughout his body.

:-:-:-:-:

As soon as Dr. Light pulled the gun away from Raven's head, Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire leapt into action. As the crazed villain was pulled away, Robin and Starfire quickly moved Raven while Cyborg scooped up Jinx from the glassy pavement.

"Are you undamaged Friend Raven?" Starfire asked with concern.

Raven shook her head violently and rubbed her temple where the barrel of the gun had been repeatedly rammed. "I think so Star."

"Rob, Jinx has been hit pretty bad. It looks like the bullet went in under the collar bone." Cyborg said.

"Will she make it until the ambulance gets here?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. It'd be too close to say…"

Robin was hesitant for a moment but agreed. "Fine, get her to the tower now. Do your best to stabilize her."

"On it." He said, rushing her to the T-Car.

"NOT THE DARKNESS! ANYWHERE BUT THE DARKNESS!" Came Dr. Lights terrified cry.

"You tried to hurt Raven. You tried to _kill_ Raven. No one hurts Raven. You will suffer!"

The remaining Titans turned to see what was happening.

'What's happened to him?'

Raven watched as Dr. Light grasped his discarded firearm and turned over in the tentacles. She wanted to shout some kind of warning to Beast Boy, but seeing him this way… The demon influence in him was like something she'd never seen.

"I'm not going back to that darkness! Never!" He cried.

Eleven shots were fired in quick succession and it looked as if he were trying to fire more rounds he didn't have. More tentacles shot out from the formless blackness and bound themselves around the terrified man. He was pulled closer and closer to the void.

"No one hurts Raven." He said coughing some blood.

"Beast Boy! Let him go!" Shouted Robin from behind her.

He did not heed his command because Dr. Lights bound head was forcibly jerked to the side and the loud noise of his neck snapping echoed through the surrounding area.

Raven was petrified. What had he just done? He couldn't have done what seemed so apparent. Beast Boy was not a killer.

The labored breathing of the tall demonic entity before her was becoming shallower. It finally doubled over and shrank back to the Beast Boy she knew. Something was wrong though; he fell to the rough ground clutching his sides. Then Raven saw it, the sight of it made her heart stop. All the sights and sounds seemed to fade away and all she could see was the broken figure on the street and the blood that was pooling. Blood, there was so much of it already. Even though she was a distance from him, she could see every single hole that had been torn in his clothing by the bullets. The dark red liquid continued to flow from them.

"BEAST BOY!"

:-:-:-:-:

Everything had happened so fast. What had happened? Dr. Light was going to kill Raven, he shot Jinx and Beast Boy or whatever the hell that thing was pulled him away from her. He killed him though… Robin didn't need to check for a pulse to know he was dead; it was obvious to him from twenty feet away from the way his head sat at an almost 180 degree turn for it's normal position. He was protecting Raven though… But he didn't need to take it that far.

This was just another one of those black and white things. What he did was wrong and that was all there was to it. If you do something wrong, you get punished for it. This didn't feel the same though. This was Beast Boy! Robin had known him since he'd joined the Titans nearly five years ago. This wasn't something he'd do. The police would be here soon, questions would have to be answered. Robin had never been anything but one hundred percent truthful with them. So did he turn Beast Boy in? He had to, it was the law. Why didn't it feel right then? It wasn't black and white anymore… It was all just some mess of gray. It didn't matter, Beast Boy was a friend. Hell Robin considered him family. He couldn't turn him in.

"BEAST BOY!"

Raven's cry had caused Robin to regain his senses and he saw the large amount of blood beginning to pool beneath Beast Boy.

"Starfire, Raven get him back to the tower!" Robin ordered.

Starfire quickly scooped up the pale Titans bloody form and shot of toward the Tower, Raven was in hot pursuit.

'Did I really just do that?' Robin thought. 'I'm going to have to lie to the police… I'll be committing a crime…'

He opened his communicator and called Cyborg. "Hey Cy, is Jinx going to live now?"

"Yea."

"Good, get re-" Cyborg cut him off.

"What are we going to do about her though?" He asked.

"What do you mean 'do about her'? She's a criminal who was robbing a bank, we turn her over to the authorities."

"Yea, but she got shot trying to help Raven. That's got to count for something right?"

More of that damn gray area.

"That's not important right now! Beast Boy will be there soon, he's been shot eleven times."

"WHAT?"

"JUST GET READY TO TREAT HIM CYBORG!" Screamed Robin as he slammed his communicator to the ground in frustration.

As if cued by the smashing communication device, three police cars showed up.

"What happened here?" Asked the lead officer. "We were informed of a robbery in progress."

"It was stopped." Robin breathed.

'Here goes nothing.'

"Only Gizmo and Mammoth were apprehended. While we were battling them, Dr. Light snuck up on one of my team." He said gesturing to his body. "He held them at gunpoint and another Titan prevented their death. He was completely deranged, lethal force was the only option."

The police officer looked at Dr. Light's body and then back to Robin.

"We're going to need you to come down to the station to sign some release forms for these two." He gestured to the two remaining H.I.V.E. who were being placed in the cars. "We'll also need paperwork on the fatality."

"I'll be there within the hour. A member of my team was severely injured and I need to check his status."

"Alright, we'll see you then. Sorry to hear about your teammate."

:-:-:-:-:

'Please be alright Beast Boy.' Raven silently prayed.

Cyborg had managed to remove all of the bullets and was just finishing up bandaging him. He'd been receiving blood intravenously to replenish the vast amount he'd lost for about forty-five minutes now. He'd been shot in the legs three times, twice in the arm, five times in the chest and abdomen, and once in the shoulder. The shots that had hit him in the arm and the shoulder went right through and out the other side. His skin that wasn't stained with blood looked even paler than the light gray it was before; now he resembled something ghostlike.

Cyborg placed his large metal hand on Raven's shoulder to get her attention.

"He's really weak right now but he's stable. He almost didn't pull through… We've got blood on I.V. so he should be fine." He told her.

"Should be?"

"Well yea… He lost a lot of blood Raven, I'm amazed he actually survived the trip back to the tower." He sighed deeply. "It's a miracle that none of his vital organs were hit but no one gets shot eleven times and just shakes it off."

"Can Friend Beast Boy not just heal himself when he regains consciousness?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, but he may start healing himself before that. The demon part of him should cause a sort of healing trance. If he survives long enough that is…" Raven bowed her head sadly as she finished.

"And what of Adversary Jinx?"

Cyborg was about to answer but Raven angrily cut him off.

"Why is she here anyway? None of this would have happened if they didn't rob that bank! I wouldn't have been caught of guard and Beast Boy wouldn't be like this!" She gestured to the prone and blood-covered Titan on the medical bed.

"Now just hang on a second!" Said Cyborg. "She may have been trying to rob the bank but she got shot by Dr. Wacko trying to help _you_. We had to take her back here 'cause she would have died waiting for an ambulance."

"Beast Boy almost died!" Tears were now freely falling down Raven's cheeks. "He still could and you're going to defend her?"

"BB's my friend too." He said sadly. "Trying to place blame isn't going to do us any good."

"I know…" She fell heavily into a chair next to Beast Boy's bed. "I just can't stand to see him like this…"

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy groaned and sat up. He was sitting in the middle of a grassy field and was surrounded by a plethora of differently colored versions of himself. They all seemed to be intently waiting for him to say something but when nothing came one of them spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

This emotion was wearing the same jeans and shirt he and all the other emotions were, but they were a shade of brown.

"A little sore I guess… What happened?" He asked, looking at all of the emotions around him.

"What do you last remember?" Knowledge asked.

'What do I last remember… The H.I.V.E. were robbing a bank, we stopped them but Dr. Light came and- Raven! I got angry, really angry and something happened… A gunshot… I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to kill-'

"I killed him…" Beast Boy's eyes lost focus and he stared forward.

"Yes." The brown clad emotion said. "We killed him for trying to kill Raven."

"We didn't have to kill him though! All we had to do was get him away from Raven!" Shouted the sky blue emotion.

"No, we didn't have to Kindness, but at least Raven's ok." Said Bravery.

Beast Boy shook his head and blinked a few times.

"Why did I get so angry? I mean, I _killed_ him!"

"You did." Said Love gently. "There are a few reasons you got so angry. First of all, when Raven's life was in danger, you wanted to save her. You would have done anything to protect her, part of your conscious mind wanted to hurt him. Rage wanted to protect Raven so badly that he managed to break free for a moment and awoke your demon side."

"Rage wasn't in control though… Neither was any demon part of me; I knew what I was doing, I _wanted_ to make him suffer. I _wanted_ to kill him…"

"Yes… The demon side did very little to affect your judgment. It simply gave you a means to execute the actions you wanted to perform. Rage was affecting you, but not so much that you couldn't have stopped." Knowledge said.

Beast Boy just sat on the thick green grass and let what the emotions had told him sink in. He'd ended a life… He was a hero, someone who's supposed to protect life! Why did he do it then? And why did it feel good when he did? It wasn't the demon side of him that did it, it was him. He was in control when he snapped Dr. Light's neck. The emotions he was giving off were horrible; remembering the feeling of the pure terror made Beast Boy feel sick.

Beast Boy tried to stand up but fell to the ground on his hands and knees and vomited.

"It's alright, let it out." Said Kindness as he patted Beast Boy's back.

"What's going to happen now?" Asked Happy in a tone that sounded very little like his normal exuberant one.

"I don't know." Knowledge sighed.

"Why am I here anyway?" Asked Beast Boy, after he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "What happened?"

"You were shot." The yellow emotion bluntly replied. "Eleven times."

"Am I dead?"

"No… Not yet anyway. Our condition is stable, but there's still a good chance we'll die. The demon part ofour body needs to start healing us."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"We'll have to talk to your demon…"

:-:-:-:-:

'Ah… My head is pounding!'

Jinx opened her eyes and saw the white of the medical bay ceiling. She groaned and tried to sit up but a sharp pain in her shoulder caused her to fall back down to the bed.

"Take it easy." Cyborg said. "You took a pretty bad hit there."

'Cyborg? Where am I?' She thought.

She looked around the room and saw that it was the medical bay of the Titan's tower. She remembered it from the time the H.I.V.E. temporarily occupied it. The pale Titan that Beast Boy had become was covered in dried blood and occupied the bed next to hers. She could see the top of Raven's green head resting on the side of his bed.

"What am I doing here?" She asked.

"You were shot." He plainly said. "You stood up behind Dr. Light when he was holding Raven and he shot you. We didn't know if you were going to live long enough for an ambulance to come so we took you here."

"So why wasn't I turned over to the police when you stabilized me?"

Cyborg gave her a look as though what she said were odd.

"You were trying to help Raven. That's why you got injured… We couldn't send you to jail after that." He explained.

The sorceress was confused and just shook her head.

"So what happened to him?" She said, nodding toward Beast Boy.

Cyborg's face fell. "He got shot up badly…"

The Titan's quick change of attitude worried Jinx.

"Is he going to be alright?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"We're not sure, only time will tell at his point."

"I'm sorry Sto- Cyborg…"

* * *

Ok… I know the intro author's note was pretty overkill but I want to make sure I don't offend anyone. This chapter's tone was a little depressing and I guess the next one's will be too. It will get lighter after that though, I don't want this to turn uber angsty. I don't really want to drag this story on forever either, I know I could but I want to wrap it up by chapter twenty (I've seen a couple of stories that go on and on and they just turn awful. I know of one exception to this and that is "World Through My Eyes" by Moonchild10. Read it!). I think it's doable but I still need to think up an ending. I'm fairly certain I'll write a sequel so those of you who want to read on can. 

I've also joined a BBxRae forum that has just started up and it's in desperate need of members! I'd be happy if you stopped by and had a look around.

http/ bbwithrae. proboards55. com/index.cgi

Just yank out the spaces.

So it looks like Jinx has a heart after all! And what will Robin do now that he's lied to protect his friend? Beast Boy is about to meet his demon side, maybe they'll have a little conversation about the merit (Or complete lack thereof) of killing.

I sacrificed four cans of Coke for this chapter. I'd like you all to know that the better part of it was written just after I wrote chapter twelve. I wrote that chapter so quickly because I couldn't sleep so it may seem a little weird. Writing when you haven't slept for thirty hours has an interesting affect on your cognitive functions. Oh well, they did their part to keep me ticking until I was permitted to sleep thirty-four hours later.

Review time! I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback on this chapter so far. You've all been incredibly supportive and reassuring to me when I needed it. Thanks!

(To any mods reading this: Please don't delete it! Authors should be allowed to reply to reviews! It gives us valuable feedback that that we would otherwise not be able to get by just asking a general question. We also get to know our readers better and sometimes forge friendships. PLEASE LIFT THAT STUPID RULE!)

gladdecease: Poor Cyborg! People do seem to be switching to soy but I hadn't considered the possibility of Jinx also liking tofu! That would be classic! It'll be a little challenging to evolve Jinx's character into something the team can accept, but I look forward to the challenge. Thanks for reviewing.

Overactive Mind: Thanks. Right now I'm not sure if they'll get their proper powers back… I do plan to write a sequel to this so they may not by the end of this story. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see where the writing takes me.

Tammy Tamborine: Thank you very much.

Verya: I actually began writing fanfics because of insomnia. I read somewhere that writing can help you sleep (I've tried to read to get to sleep but I usually just end up finishing the book!) so I gave it a shot. It helps sometimes but I really enjoy it so I don't care if I get to sleep or not. Thanks for reviewing.

CalliopeMused: I'm glad that was correct. I had a fun time writing the little 'zone out' sequence and the smoking tofu eggs were just the cherry on top. I do shudder to think what an angered female could think to do with such an arsenal of brute force, claws, teeth, and other sharp appendages at their disposal… I take no offence to anything you've said, I was actually a little frightened that I might have put my foot in my mouth by making an uninformed statement that could have offended my female readers. It's always nice to do the backpedal. The fact that your reviews are so in-depth make me quite happy, thanks for putting in the time and effort with them.

Rose Mage: I'll do the best I can with Cyborg and Jinx. I'm glad you liked the little sequence with Raven zoning out and drooling over Beast Boy, I enjoyed writing it and still laugh because of it. It's also good to hear that you liked "Not Who You Think I Am". Thanks for your kind review.

Wolffike: Sorry about that, sometimes I just can't resist… I'm glad you liked the fight scene and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thank you very much!

warprince2000: Thanks.

Regrem Erutaerc: Thank you. I agree that Jinx isn't really evil but chose a different path for her life. I didn't really want to kill her 'cause then Cyborg wouldn't be able to get together with her! I hope you liked how this chapter went. Thanks for reviewing.

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thanks. Yea, Jinx isn't all that bad. I hope I can evolve her character into something the other Titans can accept. I think it would be easier for Cyborg to understand her because he spent a lot of time with her and the other H.I.V.E. members when he went undercover. Thanks for the extra info on the other members and thanks for reviewing!

Titanwolf: Thanks. I hope this doesn't get deleted either. As for Beast Boy and Raven getting their original powers back… I really don't know. I have just been writing what I think up but I do plan to have a sequel to this so they may not. Thanks for reviewing!

Phantom Moon: Sorry about that.

dinogril694: Sorry if I made that unclear, but Beast Boy is not in Raven's body. Their appearances have merely changed so now Raven is green and has pointy ears, while Beast Boy is pale gray and has the gem in his chakra. Thanks for reviewing.

lol61188: Thank you. I'm glad you like it.

RonLuver2005: Sorry about that, I just couldn't resist. I tried to think about have a change like that would affect all the Titans. Seeing as Beast Boy is his best bud, I figured Cyborg would get pretty bummed out. I too like the CyxJinx pairing; I dunno what it is really… Probably the whole Romeo and Juliet angle. Thanks for reviewing.

Draco Blade: Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for reviewing.

Chaos-Paladin: Thank you. I too am glad that that little plant was there, I now know to be a little more cautious when it comes to hiking alone. I'm happy that you're enjoying the story, thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: Thank you. I know Cyborg seems like Mr. Depressieo, but I think he does have reason to be. Oh well, I'll do my best to get him and Jinx together so he isn't the sad guy anymore. Thanks for reviewing.

Darkraven05: Agreed. I'm glad you liked the Dr. Light bit. Thanks for reviewing.

doc-trigger: Well I often update quickly when I can't sleep, so hurra for insomnia! I'm glad you decided to check out this story. It's also good to see that people like the fight scenes, I didn't think this one was amazing but I think it got to where it needed too. I tried to show why Beast Boy didn't just take the gun from him with his powers, I know it was kind of a lame excuse but I needed to find a way for Jinx to get on her way to being a good guy. Thanks for reviewing!

Pink-raven-rules: Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the last two chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

BrokenNevermore: Sorry about that, sometimes I feel that I just need to torture the readers a bit. I'm glad you liked it, it was fun writing the little 'zone out' of Raven's. I had figured there would be some kind of life flashing before my eyes, hey, maybe even a little clip show. But there was nothing! You always hear so much about it that I was a little disappointed. Oh well, thanks for your review.

cade-chan: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I'll do my best with CyxJinx but it's a first time for me so it should be interesting. Thanks for reviewing.

kingofwaffles: Thanks. I will have to check that story out, who's the author? Thanks for reviewing.

Silverchild of the winds: Thank you. I don't want this to drag on and be something that sucks to read. I'm going to try to end it by chapter twenty. I'm glad you liked the fight. Thanks for reviewing.

superdave: It's like you're in my freaking head! It was either snap his neck or shred him to bloody bit. I liked the neck snapping more though because it just seems more final. Thanks for reviewing.

SpazztheSlob: Thank you very much.

Nikana: Thank you. I had thought about Raven actually tackling him but I thought that might just be a little too much. Sorry, again this is just one of my preference things… I kinda made him psycho in this story, being sucked into a demon can do that to you. I did get the petition e-mail! I am officially number 73! We've got it posted on a couple of forums to get more names… It's not doing a great load of good but some people are signing up. Thanks for reviewing.

Raven The Black Rose: Sorry about that, I just love to leave it at a good cliffie. Thanks for reviewing.

Joey: I do believe she was! Thanks for reviewing.

teenyugiohpotterphantom: Ayep! Sure was Dr. Light, or as I like to refer to him, Dr. Wacko. Thanks for reviewing!

McDowellandkid: Thank you!

Iuz the Old: It's so true. I think the whole "I'm as sure footed as a mountain goat" just tempted fated. Glad to hear you got out of it ok though. Thanks for reviewing.

The Mad shoe1: Thank you very much!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	14. A Heart To Heart

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'd like to thank everyone for being so supportive with the direction I took the story. I was a little nervous that it may be a bit much but you guys have helped easy my mind. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

The attitude in the common room of the Titan's tower was very somber. It had been about twelve hours since Cyborg had removed the bullets from Beast Boy but his condition hadn't changed. It felt like such a different place now, completely devoid of any small happiness. Starfire had been crying for the better part of four hours before Robin had managed to calm her down and now the three Titans there were sitting at the table eating dinner; well, they weren't really eating it. They were all so concerned and shocked about the situation that they could do little more than stare at the food.

Raven hadn't left the medical bay since she had arrived with Beast Boy and she had fallen asleep at his bedside. She was exhausted and hadn't eaten anything all day.

Cyborg stood up and carried his completely untouched food to the door. She may have been worried, but she did need to eat.

"It's almost midnight guys… I'm going to go check on BB and Raven again before I recharge for the night." He said.

Robin simply nodded as Cyborg left. He turned to Starfire who looked on the brink of tears again and hugged her. It seemed to be just the thing to calm her because she smiled after they parted.

"Thank you Robin… I am just so saddened by what has occurred today." She said with a morose tone in voice.

"I know… I'm really not sure what to make of it all…" He replied. "I know Beast Boy would never do something like that but he did. It doesn't seem real."

"Will friend Beast Boy go to prison?" She asked with a slight quiver.

It took Robin a moment to respond, but he sighed when he did. "No… I don't know… I mean he did it to protect Raven right? He took it too far though, he didn't need to kill him! I'm not even sure it was Beast Boy who did it though… That _thing_ was acting nothing like him."

"What did the police say they would do to him?"

"Nothing. I told them that it was necessary to kill him to protect Raven… I lied to the police to protect someone who committed a crime." Robin stood and could feel anger rising in him. "I did it twice! I told them that we didn't catch Jinx! Why did I do that? Beast Boy is someone I trust, Jinx is a criminal!"

Starfire gently took his hand and pulled him down to sit next to her.

"It is very confusing right now. Beast Boy did something very wrong but we must believe that he had reason to do it. Jinx may be a criminal, but she was helping Raven. After doing such a thing, I do not think she is a bad person." She hugged Robin again. "You should rest, it will be easier to think of these things in the morning."

"You're right Star." Said Robin as he got up. "I'll see you in the morning."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy peered down the dark path that would lead him to his demon side. The band of emotions had led him to the edge of a dark and decrepit wood that seemed to reek of evil. The sky above was sunless; giving the impression that this was the last place anyone wanted to be. This is where Beast Boy had to venture if he were to speak with his demon side though, he really had no other choice.

He walked forward a few steps but stopped as he realized the emotions had not moved.

"Are you coming or what?"

"This is somewhere we cannot venture." Knowledge said. "We only anger him, it's best that you speak to him alone."

"Perfect, just perfect." Beast Boy muttered.

"He knows our current condition but hasn't started healing us. If you talk to him, I'm sure you'll be able to get some sense in him." Said Wisdom.

"Fine." Said Beast Boy as he began to walk again. "Lets just get this over with."

After walking for a short time, he looked over his shoulder to find the path behind him was completely dark. It was a though the entrance had never existed at all. He turned back ahead though and continued on down the path. He was fairly sure this little conversation would be something he wasn't going to like, but he wanted to see Raven again. He _needed_ to see Raven again. He didn't want to think about the worry and stress she was going through right now.

'Is this damn path ever going to end?' He thought in exasperation.

A few more minutes passed by and a small clearing came into view. Beast Boy was relieved that his long walk through the bleak and dingy forest was almost at an end. As he reached the edge of the clearing, he could make out the silhouette of a lone figure through the gloom. It was standing in the middle of the small gap in the trees and made no move to approach him.

Beast Boy moved forward until the lone figure came into view completely. He was very tall and it seemed as though his shadow melded in with those around him and the ground. The shadow was so dark that it made the dreary surroundings almost look light in comparison. It almost seemed solid in its darkness and it enveloped the demon version of himself all the way up to his shoulders. He was a fair bit taller than Beast Boy as well, looking to be a good eight feet in all.

The figures head suddenly snapped up to reveal two blood red eyes that cast of an eerie light.

"Why have you come here?" He asked coldly.

Beast Boy did his best to not flinch at the sound of the demon's voice. It sounded unmistakably like his, but it had been twisted into something that just wasn't right.

"I've come to speak to you about what happened today…" He replied, almost at a loss for words.

"What about it?"

"Well first of all, I killed someone. I used you, my demon side, to kill him." Said Beast Boy, not a hint of emotion in voice.

The demon side smiled evilly. "Yes, it was pleasant wasn't it? You never thought you could do something like that but it had been in you all along. Does that scare you? Does it make you want to kill again?"

The pale Titan looked this evil part of himself square in the eyes. "Yes, I had thought that I could do something like that. I'm disgusted with myself for doing it and I'm not entirely sure why I did it. I've come to you to discuss it though."

"Answer first. Does it scare you? Do you want to kill again?"

"The fact that it had been in me all along? No. It doesn't scare me." He said, not removing his eyes for those of his counterpart. "I did it to protect Raven, the thing that scares me is the fact that I know I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

The demon before him looked shocked. It was as if this was something he'd never expected Beast Boy to say.

Beast Boy took a few steps toward his demon side. "Why did I enjoy it though? Why did I enjoy ending a human life?"

The wicked smile curved even more making it a truly terrible sight to behold. "Have you considered the possibility that you just enjoy causing pain and bringing death?"

Beast Boy was upon him in a fraction of a second and grabbed the front of the dark demon before him. He thrust his hand into the darkness and found the clothing beneath. He then twisted and slammed him to the ground below.

"I AM DISGUSTED BY IT! I NEVER WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!" He yelled. "I would never have enjoyed that before the switch took place! What have you done to my mind? What have you done to me to make me feel this way?"

:-:-:-:-:

"Have you considered the possibility that you just enjoy causing pain and bringing death?" He taunted.

Before he could even think to react, he was knocked to the ground and Beast Boy was on top of him.

"I AM DISGUSTED BY IT! I NEVER WANT TO DO IT AGAIN! I would never have enjoyed that before the switch took place! What have you done to my mind? What have you done to me to make me feel this way?"

The dark representation of Beast Boy wanted to shoot some sort of taunt that would anger him further, but he found himself speechless. What could he say? He decided that revealing the truth would probably be the best thing to do.

"I've done nothing to your mind." He averted his gaze in defeat. "This is what you are now, a half demon. It's something that is in your nature. Demons kill, cause pain and suffering, and we enjoy it. We became so furious when that pathetic human was going to kill our Raven that we were pushed over the edge. We know that we're not allowed to kill, but we had to, to protect her."

Beast Boy smashed the demon against the ground again. "I didn't have to! She would have been safe if I'd just taken Light away from her!"

"Do you really think she would be safe? He'd gone insane. All he'd suffer would be a few years in a mental institution and then he'd be back. Back to kill Raven when we couldn't protect her."

Beast Boy stared in shock and slowly got up off of his demonic side.

"That still doesn't explain why I killed him. I hadn't known that when I ended his life…"

"Of course you did. I am a part of you, I can't tell you anything you don't already know." He explained.

Beast Boy bowed his head. It seemed he was processing the information, still unsure if he should believe it.

"Fine, maybe that is true." He sighed. "So why haven't you started healing us yet?"

"I… I haven't because I was unsure before…"

"Unsure of what?" Beast Boy breathed.

"Because I am part of you, I too love Raven. Demon or not, I do love. I was unsure if we deserved her love. I wouldn't hesitate to kill for her, I thought you would be afraid to. Hesitating to do whatever it takes to keep her safe may result in her harm." He explained. "I can see now that you would kill to protect her without hesitating."

Beast Boy blinked but nodded solemnly.

"Our body is now in a state of trance. We should be healed by morning."

"Thank you." Said the pale Titan as he began to walk away. "Oh, I know you said you love Raven but if you do anything to hurt her, I don't care what happens to me but I swear I'll kill you myself."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven was awoken by a gently shaking. She mumbled something and groaned but kept her eyes shut. She wasn't sure what time it was but she knew she was sore. As she opened her eyes, she became aware that she was still leaning on Beast Boy's medical bed and Cyborg was the source of her waking.

"Hey." He gently said. "I brought you some dinner."'

Raven gratefully accepted the food and looked around the dimly lit medical bay. "Thanks. What time is it?"

Cyborg checked his arm. "12:15AM, you've been asleep for a few hours now."

"What's his condition now?"

"I was just about to check." He said, tapping a few buttons on a screen close to the bed. "Everything looks normal, his condition is the same as before."

"So he's not doing any better?" Raven asked.

"No, but the important thing is that he's not doing any worse. Just hang tight, BB will pull through this. He's a tough little guy and I know he won't let this beat him." He said.

"Yea." Said the green Titan sadly as she bowed her head. "I just wish he'd start hea-"

Raven stopped talking as Beast Boy's unconscious body rose up several inches from the bed. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave. Beast Boy was going to live.

"So, what does that mean?" Asked the metallic Titan.

"It means he's healing himself." Raven smiled. "He's going to be fine."

The look of confusion left Cyborg's face as Raven explained and a thoroughly happy one replaced it. He hugged Raven tightly and smiled more warmly than before.

"I'm just going to check up on Jinx, then I'll go tell the others the good news."

After hitting a few buttons on the panel near Jinx's bed, Cyborg happily strolled out of the medical bay.

Raven looked down at Beast Boy again. His shirt had been cut off along with one of his pant legs for Cyborg to operate and a great deal of his pale skin was covered in blood-soaked bandages. Most of the right side of his body was caked with dried blood since he'd fallen on that side and it had pooled against him. His bluish purple hair was a mess and the dried blood that mixed with it gave it a crusty and almost brittle appearance.

She finished her meal and stretched a bit. It didn't matter how bad Beast Boy looked now, he would be almost completely healed in the morning. Raven gently brushed his cheek. Her mind had been greatly eased about one problem, after laying on the side of his bed from her chair, she decided it would be best to go back to sleep and deal with the other problem in the morning.

:-:-:-:-:

Jinx awoke to the sounds of feet scraping against the floor. She opened her eyes to find herself still in the Titan's medical bay. It was brightly lit from the morning sun and Cyborg seemed to be hovering around the bed next to hers.

'Checking up on Beast Boy I guess.' She thought.

She propped herself up but the movement in her arms brought a sudden pain to her shoulder and she let out a moan. Cyborg turned around, acknowledging that she was awake. He walked to one of the cabinets and got a bottle of what sounded like pills and a glass. After filling the glass at the sink, he returned to Jinx's bedside and offered her two pills and the water.

"Just a couple of pain killers." Cyborg said, after seeing the way Jinx was eyeing the pills he held out.

She shrugged her shoulders and cringed at the folly of her action. With her good arm, she grabbed the pills and popped them in her mouth, quickly chasing them down with a large gulp of water.

"Thanks." She sighed.

"No problem." He smiled. "Do you think you're good enough to take a walk around?"

"I guess I am, I'm pretty hungry."

"Just a second, I'll make you a sling." Said Cyborg, folding a triangular bandage.

He tenderly moved her arm into the cloth sling he had fashioned and began to tie the two ends behind her neck. It was surprisingly comfortable as compared to how it had felt moments before.

"So… How's Beast Boy doing?" She asked, a little uncertainty in her voice.

Cyborg smiled broadly. "He's doing fine. Almost completely healed now."

"How's he almost completely healed?" She asked incredulously. "He was supposed to be 'shot up badly' just yesterday!"

Cyborg's smile hadn't wavered and he explained. "He's got healing powers. If he gets injured badly enough, they kick in and heal him."

"I've been meaning to ask you, since when did he have healing powers? I thought he was the green one who did the animal thing." She said, looking back over at Raven and Beast Boy.

"He was but there was a change a few days ago. We were trying to take care of Mumbo when he pulled some powers sucking trick. I stopped him before he got their powers and then this happened." He gestured to the other two Titans.

"Uh huh." She said as she slid out of the small bed. "So what kind of food do you guys have around here?"

:-:-:-:-:

Robin fried a large pan full of hash browns while Starfire made herself a packet of instant oatmeal. Robin couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had begun to drift away from her usual 'unique' dishes for the more conventional. She had been right, a nights sleep had relaxed him a great deal. He was still aware that there were serious issues to address, but with Beast Boy's improving health and the generally lightened mood in the tower, they seemed to be miles away.

"It is such a great relief that our friend will be in good health again soon." Starfire said.

"Yea." Robin agreed. "It'll be good to see him walking around."

She murmured her agreement but the smile slowly faded from her face. "What is to happen with Adversary Jinx? Is she still one of the 'bad guys'?"

The masked Titan thought for a moment.

"I'm not really sure anymore Star. I guess we're going to have to leave it up to-" He stopped himself as the double doors hissed open to reveal Cyborg and Jinx.

"Mornin' guys." Cyborg greeted. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well, I've got some hash browns going. I doubt there will be enough for all of us though." Said Robin.

"No waffles? What's wrong with you guys?" Cyborg said in mock offence as he hurriedly began to prepare a batch of waffle batter.

"So that waffle obsession you had at the H.I.V.E. academe wasn't just an act." Said Jinx with a slightly amused look on her face.

"Friend Cyborg is very fond of his waffles." Starfire explained. "Would you like to partake in the eating of breakfast with us?"

"Uh… Sure. Is it alright if I have some of those waffles?" She asked as she sat at the table.

"Coming right up!" Said Cyborg.

He'd now donned an apron and a chef's hat that had been hanging next to the stove and was busying himself with the waffle iron.

"So Jinx…" Robin began. "Thank you for what you did yesterday."

Jinx simply nodded in reply.

"We're in a bit of an interesting situation now… Because you risked your life for Raven, I informed the authorities that we were unable to apprehend you. Seeing as you were committing a crime, I committed a crime in lying to the police…" Robin thought for a moment. "I might as well get right to it then, where do you stand now?"

"Where do I stand? What do you mean?"

"Well, I honestly hadn't expected anyone from the H.I.V.E. to risk their lives for one of my team. Do you think you're going to go back to them to continue a life of crime?" He asked.

"What other options do I have?"

Robin looked from Starfire to Cyborg who were both paying intent attention to the conversation and back to Jinx. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Seeing as you did what you did… Well, I guess I'm asking if you'd consider joining the Titans."

The room fell silent save for the sizzling sound coming from the waffle iron. Jinx stared around at the three Titans and they all returned her intense gaze.

"Well…" Everyone held their breath in anticipation. "I guess I could see how it works out."

Starfire jumped up happily and shot over to hug Jinx but stopped about a foot away when she saw her arm in the sling.

"It will be quite joyous to make your acquaintance new Teammate Jinx!"

"Yea, this should be interesting." She said.

"When do you think Raven and Beast Boy will be up?" Robin asked.

"B was doing pretty well. He should be in perfect health in a couple hours. Raven's still snoozing, probably will be until noon." Chuckled Cyborg.

Robin's face became neutral and his eyes fell.

'I'm going to have to talk to Beast Boy about what happened pretty soon…' He thought.

Starfire must have seen the look on his face because she hovered over to him and gave him a hug. Robin was aware that both Jinx and Cyborg were looking at them and he couldn't help but blush.

"Am I correct in assuming you are distressed about the upcoming conversation with Friend Beast Boy?"

:-:-:-:-:

Starfire hugged Robin tenderly and his face turned beet red.

"Am I correct in assuming you are distressed about the upcoming conversation with Friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked as she still held on to Robin.

Robin mumbled something that Jinx couldn't hear.

"Since when did this happen?" Jinx quietly asked Cyborg. "And what does he have to talk to Beast Boy about?"

"Them? They got together a couple days ago. Took 'em long enough too." He replied in an equally quiet tone. "Something happened with Dr. Light…"

Cyborg was apprehensive about finishing but Jinx prompted him to continue.

"What happened?"

"He… That demon thing… He killed him." He said. "I didn't see it because I was bringing you back to the tower, but Rob said that whatever Beast Boy was killed him."

"Was he protecting Raven?" She asked.

"That's what I thought but-" Robin cut Cyborg's hushed reply off.

"No." He plainly said.

His face lost the sure look it had a moment ago and he spoke again. "I don't know… I mean, he killed him after Raven was out of danger, but Dr. Light was still trying to kill her… I don't know what's going to happen now, but I need to talk it over with Beast Boy."

Cyborg set a plate with waffles on it down in front of Jinx and he sat down with a large stack of his own. Starfire sat down in front of her half-eaten bowl of oatmeal and Robin dished himself some hash browns.

"I… I see…" Jinx said.

An uncomfortable silence fell on the four of them as they did their best to eat their breakfasts of choice.

* * *

Yea, I know it was a crappy end to the chapter but that was just the way it turned out. Why does Robin have to be such a downer? I hope the fluctuating tone of the story was believable. At first Beast Boy was pretty depressed and angry about what he had done, but after talking to his demon side, became a little relieved. The other Titans also became happier as Beast Boy's life was no longer in danger. Robin had to bring the mood back down though… 

With this whole review thing happening, I implore any authors here at to go to this site http/ bbwithrae. proboards55. com/ index.cgi and sign the petition about responding to reviews. It should be in "all topics in general" under the Emergency at FF .net thread (You don't have to join or anything, just leave you penname and corresponding e-mail address). I think we have about seventy something people so far, but our target is two hundred… We need your help!

So what did you guys think of the conversation with his demon side? And how about the way I incorporated Jinx in? I know it seems like they're accepting her pretty quickly and I'm not all that happy with it but she did help Raven right?

The whole thing about Dr. Light just going to an insane asylum was another Canadianism. Far too often I see people get out of serving time they know they deserve by pleading temporary insanity or something similar. The way I see it, if you can get into a state of mind where you commit a crime, you should still suffer the consequences of your actions. The fact that you did whatever you did still remains and it saddens me that people would rather tie up the court systems to get out of the punishment they rightly deserve. (Again, that's just an opinion of mine, it was not intended to challenge anyone else's opinions.) Does this also happen in the US?

This chapter took four cans of Coke. I knew what I wanted to write, but I haven't had any desire to write all week whatsoever. If any other authors should run into this problem, I suggest that you just start writing. I did and it eventually got the creative juices going again. It doesn't really matter what you write, you can always go back and fix what you started with if you want.

Reviews!

Verya: Thank you very much!

Wolffike: Yep! Jinx will become a good guy. I guess we'll have to see how she gets along with the others. Beast Boy hasn't died yet! And when I say yet, I mean he won't… Or will he? I'm cruel to write something like that. Thanks for reviewing!

Visigoth29527: I don't want to get into any kind of disagreement but I do agree with a lot of what you said. I don't know if I share such strong views about the punishment of criminals by death, but I agree that protecting someone by whatever means necessary should never be something you fear repercussions for. As someone who intends to pursue a career in law enforcement, I like to think I have a fairly decent understanding of right and wrong; if someone wants to commit a crime, I can't help but think they know that they're doing wrong. This knowledge should be enough to stop them from committing the crime, and even if it didn't, should be enough for them to take whatever punishment the courts deem appropriate. It's unfortunate that this very rarely holds true. Now that that seriousness is over, thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I think I'll tally up all the coke from every chapter and give a total at the end… It should be a frighteningly large and unhealthy number… Thanks for reviewing.

Regrem Erutaerc: Thank you very much. I was unsure of how to really work Jinx's attitude in the beginning, but I've kind of settled with her being pretty freaked out by the psycho Dr. Light and the near death deal. Thanks for reviewing.

McDowellandkid: He hasn't so far!

CalliopeMused: No problem. I didn't really want to make a giant deal of that when the intended focus was on Beast Boy's reaction. I know he was pretty overkill but I hope this chapter helped explain that. I'm glad that the warning didn't scare you off, I know it was pretty heavy but I do want people to know where I'm coming from. Thanks for sticking with me and thanks for your review!

Green Tears: Thank you. Yep, Beast Boy is sure going to have to deal with a couple of things in the next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

Ye Olde Scooter Dude: Thank you very much and thanks for reviewing!

SpazztheSlob: Thank you. Sorry for killing of dear Dr. Light, but I had to. Thanks for joining the site! Have you seen the petition yet? We need all the authors we can get! Thanks for reviewing.

Titanwolf: Thanks. Hurra for the fluff!

BlackRoses4Raven: It looks like he's safe for now. Thanks for reviewing.

Pyro-koneko: Thank you very much and thanks for reviewing!

darkdemon3592: Oh I dare! Thanks for reviewing.

Tammy Tamborine: Thank you very much for your kind review!

Bogbrush: Yep, I was kind enough to not force him to experience the darkness again. Thanks for reviewing.

Drow Judicator: Thank you very much. I'm glad you see the point I'm trying to get across. Thanks for reviewing!

The Halfa Wannabe: Thanks. Yea, sometimes it's tough for even me to remember that their appearances have changed. Thanks for reviewing.

lol61188: Thank you!

Overactive Mind: I'm glad people are still sticking with me! I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

Lady Pyrefly: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for reviewing.

Snea: Yep, that dreaded gray area. I wish life could be as simple as black and white but it rarely is. I'd be very interested to read some of your stories, could you please inform me when they're up? Hope the thunderstorm didn't mess anything up. Thanks for reviewing!

Chaos-Paladin: Thank you for reviewing and sticking with me! Poor Dr. Light…

PhoenixClaw: Thank you very much. I hope Jinx didn't seem too far-fetched in this chapter… I can't honestly say I'm really happy with the way I wrote her in, but I'll try to improve that in future chapters. Thanks for your kind review!

acosta pèrez josè ramiro: Thanks. As an added moral dilemma, I've kind of made it so that Beast Boy and Jinx have both got off the hook. That's not to say that conscience would play an important part in the future, but the don't have to worry about the police. I did try to address killing in the most fair and mature way possible and I'm glad people understand that. Thanks for reviewing.

Raven The Black Rose: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it so far. Thanks for reviewing.

Pink-raven-rules: Thank you very much!

Joey: Thank you very much!

doc-trigger: Thank you very much. Yep, Robin's sense of right and wrong is very precious to him. Hurra! Cyborg has a 'friend' too! It looks like Beast Boy is ok for now… I wouldn't kill him off though… Or would I? No, no I wouldn't. How would I write a sequel without him? Thanks for reviewing!

darktank: Thanks. Beast Boy will have to try and deal with himself since he killed Dr. Light as well as Trigon and his evil plans. Poor little guy. Thanks for reviewing.

Jedi Master Kyre AKA JMK for now: Thanks. I'm not sure… I think he was in the beginning of Prophecy… He was also in the beginning of Nevermore. Thanks for reviewing.

Silver child of the winds: I like to be different. Beast Boy will have to deal with all he feels about killing Dr. Light now. Thanks for reviewing.

Astrid-fusion: Thank you very much. I can't help but smile when I get a review like this. Thanks for your kind review!

superdave: Thanks. Sort of… Rage kind of let the demon out and Beast Boy changed on the outside, he was influenced a little by the demon side but not into a mindless fury. He did snap Light's neck after Jinx was shot (and the gun was no longer at Raven's head). It's not Trigon because Trigon is in Rage right now. This is more like a representation of his demon blood similar to the representations of his emotions. I hope this chapter gave you a better idea of his appearance. Thanks for reviewing.

Yume no Zencho: Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for giving this story a chance and reviewing!

Still trying to fly: Thanks. Gotta love the fluff!

king of waffles: Thanks. Yep, I surely did mean for the CyxJinxness. Thanks for reviewing!

SxStrngSamurai13: Sorry about the sudden change. I think the chapter was a little lighter but still managed to deal with what was going on in a realistic way (I hope it did anyway). Robin just seems like the kind of guy who doesn't like to make compromises in his judgment; it just seemed like the way he'd deal with it. I'll do the best I can with the way Beast Boy interacts with the rest of the Titans after he wakes up. Thanks for reviewing!

Phantom Moon: Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

AnimationWickedRaven: Thanks!

Glean-tastic: Thank you very much!

iamhollywood: Thanks. I hope this chapter dealt with it in a realistic way. Thanks for reviewing.

WickedWitchoftheSE: It is true, I don't want Beast Boy to be punished either but he did wrong. His friends (such as Robin) are protecting him for punishment but he still has to deal with his own conscience. I'm glad you picked up on the little situation Jinx and Beast Boy seem to be in, they're almost completely opposite, but still have very similar problems. I'm sorry to say I don't know anything about Scott Peterson or Ted Bundy but I do see what you're getting at. It easy to sit back and dictate what's right and wrong, but when you are thrust into a situation where you can understand both side of the issue, it suddenly becomes a lot more difficult to simple say it's right or wrong. I am trying to show that with Robin because I felt very similar to the way the cartoon portrays him; everything was black and white to me, right and wrong. My sense of right and wrong stayed that way until I began high school, where I had to deal with many social and academic gray areas on a daily basis. A reality check can be though at times, but I feel I'm better for it. Thanks for your amazingly detailed review!

teenyugiohpotterphantom: Hurra for the lack of sleep! Insomniacs unite! Ok I done… Yep there will be a CyxJinx relationship in the future! That's the problem with Robin, he's not really sure what's right and wrong anymore. It sort of was right, but it was also wrong. Thanks for reviewing!

Satu Simpson: Thank you very much. I'm glad so many people decided to stick with me on this one. Yea, poor Dr. Wacko did get a pretty scary death, but… Well, I really don't know what else to say about that. Beast Boy killed him in a pretty nasty fashion. I hope I can redeem him in the eyes of the readers. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you very much for your kind review.

warprince2000: Thanks!

IGAF-kun: Thanks!

Huupa: Thanks for all your reviews! Everyone know that Beast Boy is a hero deep down right? Raven does love Beast Boy and all his different emotions (even Rage) but Rage wanted Raven to love him alone. He sees Beast Boy as weak and therefore undeserving of Raven's love. I have tried Pepsi but don't really like it, I find it far too sweet. Seeing as my father is an employee of Coca Cola, I guess my views on pop are a little biased. Yep, 180 as in upside down, like his body was lying on his back where as his face was on the ground. Thanks for your reviews!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

P.S. The reviews took me about an hour longer than they should have… Remember to save regularly!


	15. Selfless Acts

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

First and foremost: I told you guys about an e-mail I received a little while ago with a petition about the review rule. Although a petition is a great idea, circulating it via e-mail isn't as effective as it could be and the forum idea isn't much better. I've set up a petition (http/ www. petitionspot. com/ petitions/ reviewrule) and I ask that all authors who want to see an end to the horrid review response rule.

I'm so sorry that this is so very late but I've been in the hospital for the past week. Long story short, I was in a car accident. I ride a motorcycle so I got pretty banged up but I'll mend in time. I can only type with one hand now (thankfully my dominant hand) because my left arm is in a cast in such a way that it will not properly bend to meet the keyboard. If you want to read all the details of the accident, there's posted under "Driving Sucks!" in the "Talk" section on the forum (I think the link is in the last chapter).

Thank you for your understanding!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Beast Boy rolled to his side and let out a yelp at the intense pain that suddenly flowed through him. When he thought that healing Starfire and Raven after leaping off of a bridge was the worst pain he could ever be in, he was sorely mistaken. The kind of pain he felt now was almost unimaginable. He could feel it in the core of his body like it was a hot slab of steel burning away at him from within. The only thing he wanted now was to slip back in to the comforting painlessness of unconsciousness but what he felt was something that wouldn't let him pass out. It was _too_ painful for him to pass out again.

He inhaled sharply because the very act of breathing was causing him sever discomfort. His original cry of pain must have brought someone's attention to him because he felt their emotions. They felt so nice, anything but the pain was nice. They were strong as well, a sort of comforting warmth that was accompanied by a relieving cool that seemed to displace the burning from inside.

With this outer influence, he was spared enough pain to regain his senses. There was someone holding onto him and by the shaking, it felt as though they were sobbing. He was hesitant to open his eyes but forced himself to anyway. At first he only saw a very blurred mass of green and white but Raven's sobbing head and shoulders soon separated themselves from the bland white wall behind them.

'Crying?' He thought. 'She isn't casting off any distressed emotions though…'

"Don't cry Raven…" Came his quiet and slurred words.

"Beast Boy! I was so scared that you were going to… Going to die last night." She squeezed him even tighter. "I really thought that you were going to slip away from me. I don't want to loose you."

"You won't." Beast Boy had managed to regain his grasp of clear speech. "I told you that you'd never loose me and that's a promise I'm going to keep."

Beast Boy had started stroking Raven's hair as he was talking and her sobs were quickly diminishing. That comforted feeling that he felt from her was stronger now and alleviated the pain even more. A pleasant silence fell over the two and they just enjoyed the company of one another. After a short time, Raven looked up to Beast Boy from where she had been hugging him and kissed him tenderly.

"I'll go tell everyone you're awake." She said as she began to rise.

"No." Beast Boy said, grabbing her wrist. "Please stay…"

Raven gave him a questioning look so he explained.

"It hurts. It really hurts. When I feel what you feel, it make some of it go away."

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy's pale hand ran soothingly through her hair and she thought about all that had happened over the past day. Dr. Light's attempt to kill her, Beast Boy's transformation into that demon, Jinx's help, Dr. Lights death, and Beast Boy's own narrowly missed demise. The unavoidable question of whether killing Dr. Light really was necessary was ever-present in the tower but it weighed especially heavily on Raven's mind.

'It doesn't matter.' She firmly decided. 'I trust Beast Boy and know that he'd never willingly do something like that.'

She looked up to his face to see his eyes closed and a neutral look affixed. He did look peaceful though so she leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss.

"I'll go tell everyone you're awake."

Beast Boy's hand held her wrist so she couldn't get up.

"No. Please stay…"

Raven looked into his slightly pleading eyes.

"It hurts. It really hurts. When I feel what you feel, it make some of it go away."

'Of course he must be in pain! He just healed eleven gunshot wounds! Why hadn't I thought of that before?' Raven thought.

She took his hand and held onto it.

"I won't go anywhere then." She sat back down and rested her head at his side. "Do you want to talk?"

"Yea, we need to… About what happened with Dr. Light yesterday…" Beast Boy was hesitant to continue. "I killed him."

"No you didn't." She said in a set tone. "The demon in you did it, I know you'd never kill anyone."

"That's just it Raven, it was me, not the demon part of me. I ended his life because he was going to kill you. I _wanted_ to kill him for what he tried to do to you." Beast Boy's expression was extremely serious. "I afraid Rae…"

The green Titan did the best she could to absorb what Beast Boy was telling her. He chose to do it? How could he though? He hated killing, hell; he was a vegan because he didn't like the idea of animals suffering. Beast Boy couldn't do it, it had to have been his demon side.

"N-No. It wasn't you Beast Boy." She did her best to keep her voice steady. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid because it was. I talked to my demon side when I was unconscious and he didn't force me to kill. I'm part demon now, killing is something that the demon side always wants to do but it wasn't him." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "What I'm afraid of is the fact that even if I didn't have this demon side, I would have killed him for what he tried to do."

Raven tried to speak but found she could say nothing. What could she say? She could think of nothing to say to dispel his fears. She leaned up again and hugged him. She hugged him tightly hoping to protect him from the anguish that was written so plainly on his features. He sat up awkwardly and returned her embrace. His breathing had quickened and he seemed to be choking in an attempt to quell openly crying.

The console next to the medical bed began to shake ever so slightly as a darkened aura surrounded it but neither of the Titans seemed to notice.

"I'm afraid because I know I'd kill anyone who tried to harm you."

Raven wanted to say something, needed to say something but was still drawing a blank.

'He'd kill people who tried to hurt me?' She shook her head sharply. 'That's not important right now!'

"It's going to be alright Beast Boy, we'll get through this."

She brushed her hand through his hair comfortingly. It still had dried blood in it making it a tangled mass.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy knew what he'd told Raven was the truth because it came so easily, it felt so right and true. So why did he feel so lost and afraid now? Feel. That was something he wasn't allowed to do. Raven was gently rubbing the back of his head, no doubt in an attempt to calm him, and it was working to some extent. He still felt the negative emotions though and knew what he had to do.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos…" He whispered. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

After a moment of this quiet meditation whilst still hugging Raven, he stopped chanting and let out a relaxed sigh.

"How are you feeling now?" She asked, pulling away just enough to see his face.

"Better. I guess I should get myself cleaned up." He said as he examined the state of his body. "A good long shower would be good. Do you think you could help me with these bandages?"

Raven gave him a quick kiss and smiled. "Sure."

:-:-:-:-:

"And here's the training room." Said Cyborg as he opened the door. "We've got pretty much everything you could ever need in here but we've also got the course outside if you feel like getting shot at."

"Looks good. I doubt I'll be very active for a while though." Jinx said as she looked at her shoulder.

Cyborg smiled.

"Don't be too sure, once BB is up and about, he can have that healed up in a couple seconds."

"That'd be nice. This thing is starting to get annoying." She said, readjusting the sling.

Cyborg sat down on one of the benches near the side of the mattes and Jinx sat on a weight bench opposite him. An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room and Cyborg scratched the back of his head.

'Man… This is a little awkward…' He thought.

"So… What do you think of the Tower?" He asked in an attempt to rid the room of the silence.

"It's nice." She replied.

'Hmm… You're not really helping me out here, Jinx.'

"Yea, we've been living here fo- Screw it." The pink haired sorceress looked up at him in confusion. "Look, I feel kind of guilty about what happened back when I infiltrated the H.I.V.E. I mean, I learned a whole bunch of stuff about you but I never really told you anything about the real me. So ask whatever you want."

In truth, Cyborg felt very guilty. He had gotten to know Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo very well under the alias of Stone. Over that time at the academy, he'd learned that they weren't really all that bad. Sure, Gizmo wasn't all that pleasant to be around, but Mammoth was actually a nice guy once you got to know him. He'd also managed to develop a crush on Jinx when he was there.

If he said he hadn't actually considered abandoning the Titans to stay as part of the H.I.V.E., it would have been a lie. He was there with them for weeks and got to experience what he never had, a somewhat average life. Well, as average as life can get in a school for villains. It was a great deal like Cyborg had imagined high school would be like. So when he was given the choice to defect, for however brief a moment, he had considered doing it.

Jinx tapped her chin with her free hand for a moment as if carefully choosing what to ask first.

"Did you really enjoy it?" She asked.

"Enjoy what?" Cyborg asked confused.

"Your time at the academy. Hanging out with us and going to classes."

"Yea." He smiled. "Yea I did."

:-:-:-:-:

The hot water flowed over Beast Boy and filled the rest of the washroom with steam. He scrubbed his hair vigorously causing more red liquid to fall down his back and down the drain of the shower stall. The water was almost scalding but it didn't bother Beast Boy, the pain inside the core of his body felt a hundred times hotter so the shower seemed pleasantly warm.

Raven sat at the far side of the washroom on the edge of the bathtub. He requested her presence there just so he could feel her emotions. His mind was still preoccupied with what had happened with Dr. Light but those thoughts only brought him back to the pain. The light conversation with Raven had managed to take his mind of off that though, so he just focused on the lyrical sound of her voice.

"So do you think you're up for more training today?" He asked.

"I think so, if you're up to it that is."

"I should be ok." He replied. "Just so long as I'm not doing anything major."

"How about lunch? You haven't had anything to eat since yesterday and I only had a little food for supper last night." Said Raven.

Beast Boy chuckled slightly and the bar of soap he just put down cracked into several pieces as a result.

"Now who's the one with food on the brain?" He said as he turned off the water.

His hand reached out over the stall door and he grabbed his towel.

"Hey." She said defensively. "I'm only saying it because I know you haven't eaten for a while."

Beast Boy emerged from the shower with the towel wrapped around his waist. Raven blushed slightly and looked away as the pale Titan began putting on his clean clothes.

"Well, I guess I could go for something to eat. We should talk to the others too." Said Beast Boy.

He began to walk towards the washroom door but his movements were jerky. Just as before, the pain he felt inside was slowly making its way throughout his whole body. Now his legs and arms felt stiff and sore, through it was still nothing compared to what he felt on the inside.

'Don't want Raven to worry.' He thought. 'There's enough to deal with besides me being hurt.'

Beast Boy leaned forward to open the door but a surge of pain suddenly struck him and it took all of his control to not collapse. Raven quickly rushed to his side and slung one of his arms over her shoulders to support him.

"Don't be stupid." She said. "Ask if you need help."

"Ugh." He groaned. "So I'm being stupid now?"

"Yep. And I wouldn't have you any other way." She said giving him a kiss.

:-:-:-:-:

Robin mulled over what he could possibly say to Beast Boy as flipped a few grilled cheese sandwiches over in a frying pan. It would have been nice to just forget the whole thing happened and go on like everything was normal, but he knew he couldn't do that. He was supposed to be the leader, and the best way to lead was by example. He hated to think that making an example of Beast Boy was the right thing to do, but he could do nothing to block out that little voice in the back of his mind.

This wasn't the same though, he couldn't look at it as right and wrong anymore. If he were to punish Beast Boy, he'd be a hypocrite because of what he'd told the police. Not only that, but what would the police do if they were to find out that Robin had lied to them? What would become of the Titans? The city they had sworn to protect would no longer trust that they could lawfully fulfill their duties and they could possibly disband them.

Robin knew he didn't want his friend to go to jail, that's why he had lied in the first place, but did that mean he got off scot-free? He'd fought alongside Robin and the rest of the Titans for almost five years to protect the city, in that time, they'd put away more criminals than many police officers had in a lifetime. Didn't that count for something? That's not to say the Titans should have a license to kill, but shouldn't they be cut a little slack?

Robin's musings were interrupted as Cyborg opened the refrigerator.

"You want a sub Robin? I'm going to make a bunch."

"Sure." Robin replied. "Thanks."

"No problem." Cyborg grinned. "Not-so-green-bean and Raven are on their way down now. He seems ok but he looks sore."

"Don't you think you should give him a full physical?"

"I will. I thought he could use a little lunch first though." The metallic Titan looked around the common room. "Where're Starfire and Jinx?"

"Star said she was going to help Jinx pick out a room. She hasn't had lunch yet but I think she'd like a sandwich too."

"One club swimming in mustard coming up."

The double doors slid open to reveal Raven who was assisting Beast Boy. They gave a small greeting and made their way over to the couch. The pale Titan leaned up against the armrest and closed his eyes.

"So how's Mr. I-take-a-lickin'-but-keep-on-tickin' doing?" Cyborg asked.

Robin could tell that Cyborg was trying to make light of what had happened yesterday but he wasn't exactly sure he was going about it in the best way. This probably would have been how to deal with it before when Beast Boy could laugh along with him, but now it may not have been the best course of action.

"Pretty good for getting shot eleven times." He replied with still-closed eyes.

Cyborg seemed a little taken aback at his blunt response and tried to recover.

"That's good. So how about a fake food sandwich? One time offer buddy 'cause this is the only time I'm going to touch that stuff without the intention of throwing it out."

"Sounds good." He quietly murmured.

Something wasn't right about Beast Boy, his face was flushed and it looked like he was sweating a little. It didn't look like he was tired, but more like he was distracted. Could he still be in pain? He looked to Raven with a questioning expression to which she merely shrugged and began to rub the back of Beast Boy's neck.

"Lunch is up!" Cyborg happily announced. "I'll go get Star and Jinx."

Raven helped Beast Boy to the table and they quietly began to eat. Robin quickly devoured his grilled cheese sandwiched and got to work on the sub Cyborg had made him. He'd have preferred to address Beast Boy about their impending talk while he was alone, but it seemed that Raven would not be leaving his side any time soon. He was hesitant but knew he had to do it.

'Come on suck it up! If you're a leader in the good times, you have to be leader in the bad times.' He thought. 'Ok here goes noth-'

Beast Boy cut him off. "Robin? We need to talk."

His eyes were still closed and he'd only taken a few bites of his food, but it looked like he was decidedly finished.

"Uh, yea." He replied, slightly surprised.

"How about after dinner?"

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy knew Robin was having an internal conflict with himself. He was giving off and agitated feeling coupled with guilt; it felt a little sour with a sort of hot after effect. Of course he was agitated about confronting Beast Boy, who wouldn't be in a situation like this?

'He wants to be the leader but he shouldn't have to be.' Beast Boy thought. 'I was the one who brought all this about, I should be the one to deal with the consequences.'

"Robin?" He asked. "We need to talk."

A sudden and strong flash of concern came from his side, Raven. He knew she'd be worried about him but he still had to talk with their masked leader.

"Uh, yea."

"How about after dinner?" He suggested.

"That should do."

Cyborg, Jinx, and Starfire entered the room shortly after Robin replied. Beast Boy opened his eyes to see the new visitors, he was pretty familiar with Cyborg and Starfire's emotions, but this new feeling of awkward aloofness caught his attention. It must have been Jinx then, but what was she doing here?

'Right, she helped Raven. She _saved_ Raven.'

He watched as she sat down at the table next to Cyborg and clumsily tried to pick up her large sandwich with her free hand. There was no hope she could manage without both hands but it appeared her other arm was immobilized in a sling.

"Jinx." He quietly said.

"Beast Boy." She replied in an equally quiet tone.

Was that fear he felt from her?

"Thank you, for what you did yesterday. You saved Raven's life."

"Yea well, I couldn't just let him kill her." She said.

He nodded his agreement and stood.

"You're hurt though." He said, stiffly walking toward her.

She backed away slightly as he approached only to be stopped by Cyborg. He gave her a reassuring smile and she relaxed, not completely though. The sight of his demon side must really have shaken her.

He knew that healing her right now could possibly be one of the dumbest things he'd ever attempted in his life, but he owed her. Had it not been for her, Raven would surely be dead now and he'd be lost. Completely and utterly lost without her. Therefore, dumbest thing in his life or not, he was going to heal her. If things got to painful for him to handle, he could always knock himself out once he got to his room.

"I know you wanted to do a physical on me but I'm feeling pretty tired. I'll heal Jinx then go take a nap." He caught Raven's concerned look and Cyborg's disapproving one. "What? You can check up on be before dinner."

Beast Boy placed his hand a few inches above the front of Jinx's shoulder and imagined the blue light. The tingling came quickly to his hands and he imagined the bullet wound she'd sustained close up and disappear without a trace. He felt the pain come quickly and steadily, it was like a single bullet had hit him dead center of the chest and was slowly, agonizingly slowly, tearing a hole directly to his heart. It hurt so much that he wanted to scream and biting his tongue was all he could do to stop one from coming. He bit down so hard that he could taste his own blood.

He dared not open his eyes for he feared that feeling any more, be it pain or simply seeing the sights around him, would drive him mad. He could vaguely hear Jinx's astonishment as he completed healing her but did his best to block it out. He didn't trust his legs to properly carry him so he quickly mumbled his magic words and hovered out the door, not saying a word of farewell to the Titans.

* * *

And that was chapter fifteen! Poor Beast Boy! He seems like such a glutton for punishment… I don't really have anything else to say but I hope you guys liked this chapter! 

It took me about eight cans of coke to finish this chapter. Before you all go freaking out about how a person can actually drink eight cans of coke over the course of one chapter, know that because of my ribs, I can only sit at my computer for about forty-five minutes at a time.

And on to the reviews!

Regrem Erutaerc: Thank you very much!

Titanwolf: Thank you, I'm glad you liked them.

McDowellandkid: Yep he's safe… But for how long? FOR HOW LONG?

The Halfa Wannabe: Thanks. You raise an interesting point though… I've never considered the police's reaction to Jinx becoming a Titan… I think something up to cover that (sooner or later). Thanks for reviewing.

Phantom Moon: Thank you. I really don't know if they'll switch back. I mean, I'd like to write a sequel to this so chances are they won't switch back in this story. I'm still undecided though. Thanks for reviewing.

CalliopeMused: Ayep. I foresee a better future of this one than the **_last_** extra (I really am a Terra hater). I like Cyborg as a character, I think all the Titans play an important part in the dynamic of the team so I try to use every character, even if it is a single pairing centric fic. I'm also glad you liked the reason for the hold up with the healing, I thought I had kind of dug myself into a hole when I was writing the whole demon confrontation, but I think it came out nicely. Next chapter should be the big talk between BB and Rob so it should prove interesting. I'm not really big on gore, I have no problem reading it, but I don't think you need blood an guts to make a powerful statement. Thanks for reviewing!

wolf of raven: There have been a couple of crime free days throughout the story, but the next few days will be pretty quiet crime related. I guess we'll have to see what happens next.

Snea: Yes **_that_** rule. I hope I can get this petition filled quickly then. If this story des get deleted I will post it on the forum I mentioned in the last chapter. Yes Robin is a downer, but he's the downer with the level head. Sorry the update took so long, but thanks for reviewing!

DeadRose332: Thank you very much!

Lady Pyrefly: Thank you very much! I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for reviewing!

Radar O'Reily: Well I guess it depends on your definition of screwed… I'm still unsure whether they'll get there proper powers back yet. I'd like to make a sequel to this so I'm kind of doubting they will in this story (Maybe they will in the sequel). Thanks for reviewing!

the Desert Fox: Thank you. I did want them to reflect each other's personalities yet retain something of their former selves. I didn't intend for Robin to be a bastard and I hope he didn't come off that way, it's just that he seems to have such a strong sense of right and wrong that it's a little hard for him to not treat everything that way. Thanks for reviewing!

Tammy Tamborine: Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it.

Payie: Thank you. Yea I see Robin that way too. I'm glad you like the way I'm putting Jinx in, I know Robin and Raven might not trust her easily after what happened the last time, but I think it would be harder for them to be suspicious when Cyborg seems to fully trust her. Sure, Beast Boy trusted Terra pretty quickly, but Cyborg is just about as levelheaded as Robin. CyxJinx has to be the best Cyborg pairing so hurra! Thanks for reviewing!

SpazztheSlob: Yep, I have the new petition out if you haven't signed it. Thanks. I think the coca cola (or as I call it 'Liquid Muse') is my secret. That coupled with my insomnia seems to get the stories written. Thanks for reviewing!

lol61188: Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter.

warprince2000: Thanks for reviewing.

Overactive Mind: I'm glad you liked it. I guess it does make sense if you look at it that way. Thanks for signing the petition, I hope you'll sign this new one as well. Thanks for reviewing!

Satu Simpson: Yea, It's hard to stay mad a Beast Boy. I know feeling bad about something doesn't make up for it, but I think Beast Boy's actions in upcoming chapters will show how he feels. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

AnimationWickedRaven: Thanks, I hope you liked this one as much as the last.

Huupa: Not a problem. I hope I can get Jinx interacting with the Titans in a realistic way from here on in. Thanks for reviewing!

IGAF-kun: Thank you. I hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing!

acosta pérez josé ramiro: Thanks. Yep Robin is the down to earth guy. Beast Boy was actually talking to his demon side, I should have made that a little clearer. It dies seem that he's gained respect there, now he has to work on Rage. Hurra for Cyborg and Jinx! I think you may have just given me another idea for the story! I do know how I will be ending this one, but I do plan to make a sequel so I may use the Brother Blood wanting revenge on the Titans. In any case, that will be a few stories later. Thanks for reviewing!

BrokenNevermore: Yep, last chapter sure was action packed. I too am amused by the pointy eared, and green Raven and I was quit tempted to have her 'jump' Beast Boy a couple chapters back (When she did her little zone out thing. That would have been hilarious!). I am deeply sorry that I did not respond to your last review but yours was the review that my computer froze up on. After I rebooted at began writing responses again, I thought I'd done yours. I'll make sure that it never happens again, but thanks for reviewing!

Yume no Zencho: Yea. I guess this is where I'll make my stand against the establishment! I'm glad you like the last chapter and I hoped you liked this one as well. Thanks for reviewing!

Joey: Thanks. Yep I do intent to hook Jinx and Cyborg up (It may take a little while though). Thanks for reviewing.

teenyugiohpotterphantom: Hurra for Jinx! It should be interesting to see the confrontation between her and her former allies. His demon side is caring… In a demon way, but caring nonetheless. Robin is still doing his leader thing, but the next chapter should clear things up for him. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one. Thanks for reviewing!

Rose Mage: Not a problem at all! France? How was it? I'd love to travel once I get out of college. I'm glad you like the fic so far. Thanks for reviewing!

Drow Judicator: I'm glad you like the way the story's going. Thanks for reviewing!

Wolf-blades-wings: Thank you very much!

Glen-tastic: Stupid power outages. I'm really close to buying one of those battery power bars that give you like half an hour to save and shutdown. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too. Thanks for reviewing!

Visigoth29527: Agreed. I'm glad you liked the conversation with the demon side. As I said before, I believe people are accountable for their actions and I believe that because of who Beast Boy is (a Titan and all around good guy), he would feel responsible knowing it was his decision to kill. I tried to have Cyborg's point of view on Jinx in this chapter. In this story line, Terra's betrayal and Trigon's domination of Earth have already passed but I think Robin is more prone to trust her because she did try to help Raven and because Cyborg trusts her. Sure, Beast Boy trusted Terra, but Cyborg is about a level headed as Robin and I think Robin would be more ready to trust his judgment on such a matter. I'm glad you like the story thus far, thanks for detailed review!

Ghost Rose: Anything but that! Thanks for reviewing!

BlackRoses4Raven: I could do the run away thing, but I'm not really sure Beast Boy would do that. Then again, you never know. Thanks for reviewing!

SxStrngSamurai13: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Beast Boy and Robin's conversation next chapter should prove interesting indeed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last. Thanks for reviewing!

doc-trigger: Thank you. I know that Robin's black and white way of looking at things seems like a pain in the neck, but he just gives me that vibe. He's going to feel a little change to his attitude in the next chapter though, he's already beginning to cast aside his way of looking at thing. I'm glad you liked the Dr. Light part. I do know how bad Coca Cola is for the human body… I thought the fact that it can dissolve a one-inch cube of stake in about a week's time proves that point quite nicely. A friend of min actually got ulcers because he drank so much of it (something like a 2 litre bottle a day). I'm a slave to it though, doomed for the day I was born because my dad has worked for Coca Cola since he was seventeen. Thanks for reviewing!

Pink-raven-rules: Thank you very much!

darktank: Not a problem at all. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you liked this one, Thanks for reviewing!

superdave: I'm glad it cleared things up. I can't give away anything at the moment but I promise that next chapter will answer those questions. I agree that it's never too late to do the right thing. The police may not help out a great deal, but at least they are there to take the criminals to jail after the Titans beat them. Thanks for reviewing!

Bogbrush: If it gets deleted, I'll post it all on the forum. Thanks for reviewing!

iforgetmyname: Thank you. Yea, it's a little sad but all will be better soon. Yes, stupid court systems… Oh well, life goes on. Thanks for reviewing!

WickedWitchoftheSE: Well, babbling can often bring up valid points. I think Robin still undecided what to _think_ of Beast Boy now, but it doesn't seem like he's going to punish him. He still does need to hear his side of the story before he knows what he's going to do. Yea, you can probably see in this and the last chapter that Robin is starting to cast aside he black and white way of looking at things; he should have a better idea what to think when he talks to Beast Boy next chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

Indome: Thank you very much!

starmay: Not a problem! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for reviewing!

Random Person: Sorry this took so long. I do plan to have more Raven transforming soon. Thanks for reviewing.

gothpoet: Sorry about leaving it off there and taking forever to update, I'll do my best to be faster with the updates. Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	16. The Talk

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

You guys are awesome! Thank you all for wishing me good health; you've all help raise my spirits!

CalliopeMused is currently working on a story called Dance of the Skeletons ( http/ www. fanfiction. net/ s/ 2583304/ 1/ ) and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Calliope is a very talented author and it shows in all her work, so I suggest anyone who's looking for a great story to check this one out!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Beast Boy stared at the ceiling above his bed. There was little more he could do, for the pain he felt was unbearable. His body no longer hurt, no, his body had gone numb shortly after he left the other Titans back in the common room. What hurt now was his soul, his essence, his very being. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was screaming for release.

He'd done his best to ignore it, staring at the ceiling and simply watching the muddle of colors that drifted across his vision. He knew the colors weren't really there but just a result of the pain and he tried to keep focused on the bland white of the ceiling. He'd been chanting out the three-word mantra the moment his door closed and just listened to the sound.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

He listened to the words so intently that they had gone far past the point of loosing all meaning. He didn't even known the meaning of the words besides the fact that Azerath had been where Raven was born. Now the words seemed like little more than meaningless sounds, more akin to the creaking of a door or the pounding of surf on the beach. It was almost funny to think that those three words were meaningless when it felt they were holding him there in that room. Those three words, as if his soul in those three words he did outpour. And it was true; he was sure that if he didn't put absolutely everything he had into the chanting, he'd slip away from the world, from his friends, and most importantly, from Raven.

'I can't slip away, I have to be here for her.' He resolutely thought.

'I wish she were here.' Came Timid's quiet voice. 'It feels nice when she's here.'

What was Raven thinking right now? She was probably worrying about him. Why did he always have to do things that made her worry? She'd probably just worry more if she saw him, but he couldn't help but want her there. How long had he been alone in his room anyway? He told Cyborg that he'd come down for a physical before dinner but he felt in no shape to do that. Cyborg would know something was wrong even if there was nothing physically wrong with him. He didn't want to allocate any of his attention to looking at the alarm clock that was on the desk across the room, for fear of loosing his grip on reality. It felt like he'd been meditating there for days but he'd completely lost concept of time, for all he knew, he may have only been there for a couple minutes but it was impossible to tell.

A light knocking came to the door before it quietly opened and shut. Raven. He could feel her, her concern and love washing over him. He could immediately feel his limbs again, they were sore but that was nothing compared to the hot and unpleasant burning feeling inside. He turned to look at her as she neared him; she wore an expression of concern and sat next to him on the bed.

"Why did you heal Jinx? You're in no condition to do that!" She chided.

Beast Boy rolled over and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You wouldn't be here if she didn't help, I need you here Rae. I owed her that at least."

It was nice to feel her warmth against him; it was relaxing and gave him something to focus on since he'd stopped chanting.

Raven was quiet for a moment but eased herself into a lying position next to him in the bed. She was careful to not break the embrace the whole time and she looked into his eyes.

:-:-:-:-:

"You wouldn't be here if she didn't help, I need you here Rae. I owed her that at least." He said.

'I need you too Beast Boy.'

Just being able to feel that he was there with her relaxed her mind. She knew that he must be in an unimaginable amount of pain; she'd dealt with pain in the past, but nothing the likes of twelve gunshot wounds over the course of a day.

She lied down next to him, still in his arms, and looked into his eyes. It relieved her to see a sort of calm in them but she shivered slightly to think of what he was going through right now. She reached her arms up around him and began to stroke her fingers through his hair.

"Does it really hurt?"

He closed his eyes and slowly nodded. "It does."

"Do you think you're going to be able to talk to Robin after dinner?" She asked.

"Probably not." He sighed. "I know you didn't want the others to know Rae, but I think they're beginning to suspect something. Robin isn't dumb and Cyborg will see something's wrong when I go for the physical. Is it alright if I tell them?"

Raven thought for a moment. 'I never wanted the others to know because I thought they'd make a fuss over it. This isn't really my decision anymore though.'

"You can tell them if you want to. After all, they're your powers now so it's your choice." She squeezed a little closer to him. "I wish I could take away your pain…"

Beast Boy gave Raven a smile but she could obviously tell it was forced. "You do Raven, you really do."

Beast Boy really was a selfless person. It didn't matter what the situation was but he'd always try to make others feel better. He was good at it too because Raven felt relieved and knew that it was his doing.

"Cyborg said he wanted to look you over at five o'clock." She turned to see the clock on his desk. "You've got four hours so you can take a little nap. It should help with the pain a little."

"Yea, I guess I could go for a little sleep." He gave Raven a gentle squeeze. "Do you mind staying with me?"

She smiled and pulled the blanket that was bunched up at the foot of the bed to their waists. "What do you think?"

:-:-:-:-:

'It's already quarter to six! What's BB doing?' Thought Cyborg as he strode down the hallway towards Beast Boy's room.

He arrived at the door in a short amount of time due to his quick pace and knocked loudly. "Yo B! You're late for your physical."

The door opened a fraction of the way allowing Beast Boy to slip through and close it just as quickly as it had opened.

"Sorry, I was taking a nap." He said in a quiet voice.

The metallic Titan chuckled slightly. "It's nice to see some things don't change."

Beast Boy mumbled something and the rest of their trip to the medical bay was relatively quiet. Once they arrived, Cyborg instructed Beast Boy to sit on one of the medical beds as he started wiring electrodes to the console next to it. He placed electrodes around his head and on various other places of his body. He was almost finished attaching the last wire when Beast Boy spoke up.

"Cyborg, I have to talk to you about something."

"Sure." He replied.

"You're my best friend and there's very little in my life that I've kept from you. I haven't been honest with you guys over the past few days though."

Cyborg had stopped what he was doing and gave him his full attention.

"It's about these healing powers." He said, raising his hands. "They can make it as if an injury were never there but there's a cost; I get the pain that the injury caused."

Cyborg remain silent for some time, simply mulling over the shocking information he just received in his head.

'He gets the pain?' Was the only thought he could string together.

"So you're saying…" He didn't finish his sentence.

"That even though I'm physically fine, I feel like I've been shot twelve times and then some."

"S-So why'd you heal Jinx?"

Beast Boy sighed. "She saved Raven, I owed it to her. I didn't want to tell you guys this before because I figured I could get by. I'm going to tell Robin but I don't want Starfire to know, she'd worry way too much and wouldn't ask to be healed when she really needed it."

"You're saying that Raven was doing this all these years? She never said a word…"

"Did you really think she would? That's just the kind of person she is." The pale Titan replied.

Cyborg said nothing and turned to the screen on the console.

"You're vitals all check out, you're in perfect health. Does it still hurt?" He asked.

"Yes. The pain gets focused to the inside and can last a long time. That's what Raven said anyway."

Cyborg walked over to the cupboards and searched through the medicines. After finding what he sought, he returned to Beast Boy's side.

"Here." He said. "Take two of these every four hours. There extra strength but I really doubt that they'll stack up to a full clip of 9mm ammo."

"Thanks." He replied and looked at the clock on the wall. "When's dinner?"

:-:-:-:-:

Starfire looked up from her dinner and surveyed the other five occupants of the table. She was happy that everyone was enjoying the meal that she and Robin had prepared. It was just a simple risotto, another meal that Robin had taught her, but it was quite flavorful and she relished the time she spent making it with him.

The only people talking were Cyborg and Jinx, they seemed to exude a certain comfort with one another that surprised her. She knew that she was rather quick to make friends, but there was something seeded in the way they interacted far deeper than she would have thought, possibly deeper than either of the pair knew. She was happy to see Cyborg so natural now; she'd noticed a change in his behavior over the past couple days but Jinx seemed to bring the same old cheerful Cyborg back to the surface.

She then turned to look at Robin who was sitting beside her. He looked tense and it was understandable. He'd be talking to Beast Boy about Dr. Light's death. It was his death plain and simple because Starfire refused to believe that Beast Boy, her longtime friend and teammate, would ever willingly end a life. The fact remained that Robin had to address him about it.

She gently rubbed his hand and looked at his questioning expression. She only smiled in response to his unasked question and he returned the gesture. Starfire's eyes then fell on Raven. The green Titan and been glancing at Beast Boy with concern at least every other minute and it slightly confused her. She could have been concerned about the pending conversation with Robin, but it seemed different, almost as if she was checking on him. Despite her obvious concern, she did look to be pleased with the food and her proximity to Beast Boy.

Finally, she looked at the pale Titan himself. Unlike Raven, he'd eaten very little but Starfire took no offence. It seemed the switch had pertained to the eating habits also because it was usually Raven who ate little and Beast Boy who had the almost insatiable appetite. He was different now though, earlier he had left directly after healing Jinx and he was behaving oddly. His eyes were almost completely closed now, very similar to the way there were at lunch she noted, and he didn't look like he was paying attention to anyone.

'Raven has never behaved in such a way.' She thought, scouring her memory for any similar incidents in the past. 'Could it simply be the impending conversation with Robin?'

It was sad to think that two of her friends would both be dreading a form of interaction with one another, but this situation was understandable. Starfire tried to look on the bright side though, after they spoke with one another they would be able to sort this out and put the whole thing behind them. With this new optimism in mind, she happily took a sip of her mustard and continued to eat her dinner.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy followed closely behind Robin into the study. The walls of the room were covered in newspaper clippings and pictures that he was sure were all linked to Slade in some obscure way or another and the desk was a mess of files. There hadn't been a single hint of Slade since the battle with Trigon so much of the information was dated, but it seemed that Robin wasn't about to let his guard down.

The masked leader sat behind the desk and gestured for Beast Boy to take a seat in front of it.

"So, what happened yesterday?" He asked.

"I killed him. I know you guys think it was some kind of demon inside me but it wasn't; I had total control of what I was doing." He looked down at his hands. "I just got so angry that anyone would try to kill Raven that I _wanted_ to kill him. I _wanted_ him to suffer for what he tried to do… I don't know what's wrong with me…"

Robin stared at him through his mask. It may not have been possible to discern his emotions from his stoic expression, but Beast Boy could feel them. He felt confusion, incredulity, and a slight hint of mistrust. Though he'd never felt mistrust empathically before, it wasn't difficult to identify the unpleasant feeling his friend was emitting.

"You _wanted_ to?"

"Yes." He simply answered. "And I feel that I would do it again to someone who tried to do harm to Raven… I… When I was unconscious I talked to my demon side, he told me that it's a part of me now. Demons kill and they enjoy it, it's just their nature, my nature."

Again, Robin was silent, turning the new information over, examining it in his meticulous manner.

"I'm not going to try and justify why I did because it was murder plain and simple, but what's going to happen now? You compromised yourself to protect me. Jail is no longer an option." Said Beast Boy.

"I did." Robin replied. "But you don't think you should go to jail, do you?"

"I committed a crime and should therefore suffer the consequences. You probably know a little something about my past so you know what kind of people my parents were. Being geneticists who constantly worked around and with animals, they raised me in a way to respect all life. That's one of the reasons I'm a vegan. We all have burdens from our past but I've never felt more disgusted with myself then after I came to in my mind." He said.

:-:-:-:-:

"I did. But you don't think you should go to jail, do you?"

"I committed a crime and should therefore suffer the consequences. You probably know a little something about my past so you know what kind of people my parents were. Being geneticists who constantly worked around and with animals, they raised me in a way to respect all life. That's one of the reasons I'm a vegan." Beast Boy explained. "We all have burdens from our past but I've never felt more disgusted with myself then after I came to in my mind."

Normally, a comment like 'came to in my mind' would cause question, but Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven had explained the strange happenings they experienced in her mind several years ago.

"What do you think should happen then?" Asked Robin.

"I don't know… I joined the Titans to help people, I thought that I could atone for my past, but what I did was wrong."

Murder was wrong and people were supposed to pay for their crimes, but Robin couldn't punish him. Not just because he was a friend, but because what he did wasn't some demonic act against some random person. Had it been Starfire in Raven's position, he could see himself killing Light even if there were other means of protecting the one he loved.

"It was, but I can't punish you for it." He sighed a slumped back in his chair. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. You're a friend and I trust you with my life, my friend's lives, and hell, even Star's life. I can't fault you for what you did because it wasn't demonic, it was human, and I know I would have done the same thing had I been in your position."

It was now Beast Boy's turn to be silent and absorb the information his friend provided.

"Is their anything else you want to talk about?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy replied after another moment of reflection. "Yea, there's one more thing. You'd probably guessed something was up before this but it has to do with the healing. Whenever I heal an injury, I take on the pain that the injury caused. It was the same with everything Raven healed but she never had so much over this short a time."

Robin's intuitive mind connected the proverbial dots quickly and he stared at the pale empath before him in a whole new light.

"So when you healed Star, your back, your eleven gunshot wounds, and Jinx's gunshot wound, you absorbed the pain?" He asked.

"Yes. It gets focused on the inside and depending on the severity, can last up to a week I'm told." Beast Boy explained.

"So how are you walking around now if you feel like you've been shot twelve times?"

"Cyborg gave me some heavy duty pain killers before dinner. They help a bit but I can still feel it pretty strongly. He and you are the only one's I've told, besides Raven of course, but I want to keep it that way. If Starfire ever did get injured, she'd rather stay that way than come to me for help."

Robin nodded in agreement. He hadn't really expected the conversation to turn out so well but he felt that he now had a better understanding of his friend. He could relate on a stronger level than before. So what if he'd done wrong? He didn't try to deny it, he did want to face up to it, and he still wants to help people; that's what it meant to be a Titan.

:-:-:-:-:

"So how do you think they're doing in there?" Raven asked, after having waited for fifteen minutes with Cyborg, Jinx, and Starfire.

"Chill out Raven, he'll be fine." Said Cyborg.

The four Titans were sitting in front of the large screen television and Cyborg was playing one of his favorite racing games against Jinx. Each race was relatively short due to the fast-paced reflex intensive nature of the game, and every round the metallic Titan had invited her and Starfire to join. Starfire had politely declined, professing she had no idea how to play where Raven just plainly said no.

It was funny to see Cyborg playing on the game station with someone besides Beast Boy or Robin. Raven had never really paid attention to the screen when anyone was playing on the game station, but she'd been around it enough to know who was winning and at that moment, it appeared to be Jinx. She probably could have figured that out without looking at the screen at all because of Cyborg's intense concentration and the fact that he wore a fairly annoyed expression every time the round would end.

"So how long did you say you've been playing this?" Jinx taunted, having just won another round.

He tossed down the controller. "Long enough to know when I'm beat."

"Don't worry about it Cy, you were only beat by a girl."

Raven's attention was taken away from her friend's grumbling as the common room doors hissed open. Both Beast Boy and Robin stepped though wearing equally unreadable expressions.

'What it'd give to be an empath again.' She thought.

She met him half way to the couch and he smiled.

"It's all going to be ok." He gave her a small kiss. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow but I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"See you in the morning then." She said as she hugged him. "Good night."

:-:-:-:-:

Not long after Beast Boy settled into his bed, he fell into a pleasant slumber where he escaped the discomfort he was becoming all too familiar with. His emotions that were scattered throughout his mindscape were all going about their existence in their usual manner. It had been tense for all the emotions for most of the day, uncertainty and dread were strongly felt by all, but a general calm had set in and it appeared that all would truly turn out right.

The general calm had set in everywhere but a certain arid red sandstone canyon where a crimson clad emotion stood, chained to the wall. His outward appearance was calmer than it had been for the better part of his existence, he was no longer fighting against his binding but a battle raged within him.

He was fighting for all he was worth to keep the invader of his being at bay. This _parasite_ threatened to take over and do harm to the one he loved; that was something he wasn't going to let happen.

'**Make it easier on both of us and just let this happen now.'** Trigon's voice rang through his head. **'Whether you fight or not, I will gain control.'**

Rage had stopped responding to the demon's threats and taunts; they only proved to test his resolve and attempt to break it.

**'You don't feel like talking? Such a pity. The end will come soon enough for this boy, sooner thanks to your unchecked display of rage.'**

The emotion held strong against the assault and kept his mind focused on Raven. She could give him the strength to fend off this abomination.

**'What is it that enrages you more? The fact that you can never have Raven, or the fact that you will ultimately be her demise?'**

A strong pang of longing mix with grief struck his heart at the demons words. Though he knew they were meant to break him, they were no less true. He had decided that protecting Raven from her 'father' was his higher calling, but what did he get in return for his suffering? She loved the weak one, everything he strived not to be, and it was starting to eat away at him. This longing was causing far more damage than Trigon ever could.

'**Her death will be pure agony and I'll be sure to leave enough of you intact to hear he screams.'** He said. **'All of this fighting and you'll only end up failing. You're pathetic, weak like all the others in this meager mind.'**

Weak? He was the strongest of all these weaklings. He wasn't weak, no; it was Trigon who had been defeated, not him.

'Who's the pathetic one Trigon? Six mortals were able to defeat you, I'm more than enough to handle the likes of you.' Rage spat.

**'If you think that you, nothing more than a manifestation of a human emotion, can possible compare to the power of Trigon the Terrible, then you're sorely mistaken.'** Replied Trigon.

'Is that so? Why is it then that I, a simple manifestation, have held back your power for seven days? Your threats don't scare me.' He retorted.

**'It will be so pleasant to kill her. Just wait, you'll look into her eyes as I extinguish her life. You'll taste her blood as it slowly flows from her body. You'll hear her cries for mercy. And do you know the best part? You won't be able to do a thing about it.'**

Rage wiped the unpleasant thought from his mind and tried to stay focused on holding Trigon's influence back. It was hard to think of anything when the images of Raven suffering played in his mind.

"You'll never win Trigon." He said aloud. "I'll make sure of tha-Ah!"

Rage clutched his head as a fiery pain lashed through him.

:-:-:-:-:

Back in Beast Boy's room, the dark empath was laying quietly asleep in his bed. He grunted in his sleep as he felt a pain in his head but did not wake. Slowly, very slowly, his two closed eyes split to from a second pair directly above the original.

* * *

Oh noes! What have you done Trigon? Sorry this took so long but my typing is very slow and my sessions on the computer must be kept short. I had been taking painkillers before, but I dislike the way they make me feel (very difficult to write and make sense of things) so I've stopped taking them. This results in the shortened time I can spend at the computer so it takes me way too long to finish chapters. I'll try to get chapter seventeen out faster than I did this one but it will probably still take a week and a bit. 

I've lowered my Coca Cola consumption because I can no longer get the exercise I did before. Keep in mind that this was over such a long time so the number of cans consumed is four.

Over 600 reviews! You guys are the beset ever! I wish I could respond to all your great reviews, but it would take me far too long to do that in my current condition. If you have any questions that you would like answered, please send me an e-mail and I promise I'll do my best to clear up whatever seems to be unclear.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	17. Anger Management

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

I'm eternally grateful to CalliopeMused. True to her name, she played the muse and got me passed my writer's block. Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

Beast Boy blinked a little and stretched with a satisfied sigh. It was not until he sat up that he realized he was no longer in pain. He looked down at his arms and felt around his chest to find the discomfort completely gone.

'That's weird…' He thought. 'I guess talking to Robin really helped ease my mind.'

He looked at the clock across the room on his desk and sure enough, it was 6:30AM. He changed into his exercise clothing, which consisted of a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and began to head towards the gym. It was beginning to become apparent to Beast Boy that his attitude and personality were changing. Of course they had to change to accommodate his emotionally driven powers, but he never expected himself to become a person of routine. He knew exactly what he was going to do that morning, exercise for a few hours, have a quick shower, and show up just in time to help with breakfast. It was not only the fact that he had thought out his activities for the morning, but the things that used to compel him no longer did. He used to wake up and think of two things: eating and beating Cyborg at the latest video game they were playing.

Why weren't they compelling him anymore? He wanted to have that desire to do all the old things he used to but it just wasn't there. It was like he was growing up all at once, not that he was going to be immature forever, but it was easier to get by with a joke. Was he really going to turn into an emotionless husk of a person?

It all felt so different now, he still liked to be around his friends, but in a different way. He appreciated them for who they were, but wanted to keep a certain emotional distance from them. It was difficult to be able to feel his friends' emotions and not be somewhat envious. The only exception to this rule was Raven. He wanted to be close to her all the time and he loved to see her happy.

'So what?' He thought as he began a warm up jog on the treadmill. 'I just need to meditate a little. Raven meditated a lot to clear her head of everyone's emotions, maybe I just need more practice.'

The doors slid open and Beast Boy expected a greeting from Robin. However, it was the pink haired sorceress who greeted him.

"Uh, hey." She said.

"Good morning." Beast Boy replied, his tone flat.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of Jinx. Granted, she risked her life in an attempt to save Raven, but she had still been the enemy that fought against her not so long ago. He felt some trust for her, but it seemed to be lessened now that she was healed and he'd had time to remember all of their battles against her. She seemed to have Cyborg's utmost trust as well as that of Starfire's, even Robin appeared to lay a certain amount of trust in her but Beast Boy still needed to formulate his own opinion. He hadn't felt how Raven regarded her; perhaps he could discuss it with her.

Jinx stretched out a little and began her warm up jog on the treadmill next to Beast Boy's.

"You kinda walked out before I thanked you the other day. I'm sorry that it slipped my mind at dinner, but thanks. My arm had been really painful." She said.

"Yea." He said.

His reply wasn't so much an acceptance to her thanks, but merely an acknowledgement that she had spoken to him.

"So…" Jinx was obviously trying to stave off the awkward silence that was settling in between them. "How are you getting along with those new powers?"

Still unsure of what to think of her, he focused on the emotions she was casting off. Was that simply a genuine curiosity? Or was there something more to the question? No doubt Cyborg had told her of how he had been forced to change his normal behavior to simply keep the powers in check. No more goofing around, no more relaxing, no more fun. That must have been it. Pity, or was it poking fun at him? She didn't have to keep herself in a constant state of focus and neutrality. Either way, Beast Boy didn't like her attitude, he wasn't about to be pitied by anyone and if she had voiced the question with a hidden malice, then she was someone he didn't want in his home.

Beast Boy turned his head sharply and narrowed his eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

:-:-:-:-:

His laconic responses were no help in making the situation a comfortable one. Beast Boy was difficult to pin, when they fought in the past, she got the impression that he was a pretty lighthearted guy. From what little she'd seen of him since she arrived in the tower, she'd be forced to completely rethink he assumption of his character. She wanted to make a good impression with all the Titans, Cyborg seemed to like her, Starfire's overly friendly nature had accepted her, Robin still seemed to be viewing her with caution but also had a sort of openness. Raven had been preoccupied for the past couple days and didn't really seem to acknowledge any of the Titans other than Beast Boy.

She was comfortable here, and she was sure that she'd become friends with the other Titans soon. For the mean time, she'd have to try and get on Beast Boy's good side and that meant getting into a conversation and banishing this damned tension.

"So… How are you getting along with those new powers?" She asked.

Beast Boy was quiet for a very short time before snapping his head in her direction to give her a deathly venomous glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked coldly.

Jinx was taken aback by his hostile response to her simple attempt at conversation. She hadn't meant anything by it, Cyborg had mentioned that Beast Boy seemed to be getting the hang of his powers and she had witnessed first had that he was quite proficient. She really didn't see how she could have offended him but it was time for her to backpedal.

"Nothing." She quickly replied. "I guess I was just trying to make conversation."

Beast Boy grunted something as he got off the treadmill and made his way over to the free weights. "Right."

'What's his problem?' Jinx thought.

"Look, we really got off on the wrong foot here. I'm sorry if anything I said insulted you because that wasn't the intent."

The pale Titan gave no sign he was listening and continued to lift the curling bar.

:-:-:-:-:

'Maybe she wasn't trying to insult or pity me.' He thought as he lifted the weight.

Her question had been innocent enough, why had he assumed there was some ill intent behind it so quickly? Raven used to meditate a lot more than he did, maybe that was the problem.

"Sorry." He said. "I've got to meditate or my emotions get out of line. I should probably do that now. See you later."

Beast Boy left the training room at a quickened pace towards the stairs. It was probably something like 6:45AM so it would still be dark on the roof. The sun would be rising soon though, it would be a nice place to meditate. Ignoring the fact that he was still in his exercise clothing, he sat cross-legged and cleared his mind as he began to chant out the three words that could bring tranquility as well as devastating power.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

'Why did I get so mad at her? She really wasn't saying anything to hurt me…'

'How can you be sure?' Came the deep and gravely voice of Rage. 'She was once the enemy, what if she's acting as a double agent?'

'What would she gain from saving Raven's life though? Why not just let her die?' Beast Boy thought back.

'No one would suspect her; all these fools gave her their trust immediately. We're smarter than that though, we know that she's planning something.'

'She's not planning anything though! I've felt her emotions and I didn't detect any negative feelings.' He argued.

'Are you foolish enough to think a witch cannot mask her own emotions? Your trust in her will get Raven killed!'

Beast Boy had had enough. He'd been working to keep his anger in check throughout his conversation with Rage and he was now at the breaking point. He discontinued his chanting and stood, anger seething in his breath.

"I'M NOT GOING TO LET RAVEN GET KILLED!" He yelled.

As a result of his outburst, the metal door to the stairs became enveloped in dark energy and crumpled into a sort of deformed ball. After the screeching of bending and tearing metal ceased, the door exploded casting jagged shards of metal across the roof. Beast Boy was panting and did his best to steady his breathing.

"Stay out of my head Rage, I have nothing I want to discuss with you."

'Very well, just know that _when_ it happens, I actually tried to warn you.'

The pale Titan's anger rose again and it took all of his self-control to stop himself from blasting some piece of communications equipment on the roof.

'Damn it! What the hell is Rage getting at? Is he really trying to protect Raven? Or is he trying to make me angry to take control?'

Beast Boy didn't want to think about it anymore. He just wanted it to stop and go back to the way it was. No. It was better that he deal with this, because this was something Raven would be burdened with if he didn't. Life was unfair, that was just a fact; at least he had someone to love. She'd help him through this.

:-:-:-:-:

A devious smirk rested on the lips of the shackled emotion. Trigon may have been trapped, but he was almost in complete control of Rage now. It was little more than a waiting game, waiting for his power to build.

It was almost too easy for him. Simply say a few things to make the boy angry, and his power increased. Beast Boy was fighting against him but he was loosing the battle he didn't know was taking place. Trigon would tear through his mind like a forest fire once he's gained enough strength through the emotion. By the time that happened, he'd be in full control of the boy in the real world and would be able to use him as the portal almost immediately.

**'It is amusing to think I will come to this world so easily. None of them will realize what is happening until it is too late.'**

Trigon enjoyed taunting Rage for his twisted satisfaction. Anyone who resisted him was sure to suffer but physical pain could only go so far, mental wounds went so much deeper and they were the kind that rarely healed. He could still feel the emotion, but he knew that it could barely assert itself enough to reply let alone fight.

**'Worry not, I will let you remain until I kill her.'** He felt a surge of anger challenge his control over the body that subsided as quickly as it began. **'Why haven't you given up yet? Surely you understand that it is inevitable.'**

No reply came and Trigon was even further satisfied with himself. He was only few days and anger invoking conversations away from ruling this dimension.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven rolled lazily in her sleep and tried to ignore whatever sound was rousing her. It came again and still she tried to block it out.

"Raven, last night you requested that I wake you ten o'clock and not leave until you were up." Said Starfire before knocking on the door loudly again.

The green Titan awoke to the pounding on her door this time and reluctantly rose from her pleasantly warm bed. Her dark green hair was quite disheveled but she opened the door to thank Starfire for waking her.

"Thanks." She yawned. "What's for breakfast?"

They began their trek down toward the common room and Raven was starting to get her senses again. She was vaguely aware that she must look like a mess having now yet had a shower or even brushed her hair. She tucked the green locks begin her pointed ears in an attempt to appear somewhat presentable.

"Cyborg is making his 'Pancake and Waffle Extravaganza' accompanied by large portions of bacon and sausage." Starfire replied.

"I could go for a few pancakes." Raven said. "Is Beast Boy making some sort of tofu?"

"I have not seen Beast Boy this morning. Friend Jinx said he went to meditate on the roof earlier, maybe he is still there."

'Meditating huh?' She thought. 'I should go see how he's doing.'

"I'll go check on him, can you please ask Cyborg to save me some breakfast?"

"Of course." Starfire smiled warmly before heading of in the direction of the common room.

Last time she'd seen Beast Boy, he had been in a great deal of discomfort and had left for his room before they really had a chance to talk. She didn't really think Robin would have sent him to jail or anything like that, but it was tough to predict what would happen in a situation like this. It seemed that Robin and Beast Boy had come to an understanding because they both returned from the conversation in a much less tense manner than before.

Raven stopped for a moment when she came to the top of the stairs because the door was no longer hanging in its frame. Many pebble-sized chunks of metal covered the immediate area outside the exit and she decided to place it in the back of her mind for another time. She emerged to the warm morning air of the roof and immediately saw whom she sought. The pale Titan was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the tower; he wasn't in Raven's traditional meditative pose as his hands were resting on his bent knees. He was floating slightly as he faced out towards the ocean and he chanted out the three-word mantra repeatedly.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

It was odd to be the observer for once. She was so used to being the one in the state of tranquility that she'd never thought what it must have been like to the people observing her. She suddenly felt a strong desire to show Beast Boy what it was like every time he snuck up on her when she was meditating but she suppressed it. It was unfortunate because he was such and easy target right now too, unsuspecting, almost completely unaware…

She sat next to him and gave herself a moment to take in her surroundings. The gentle breeze, warm sun, fresh sea air, and the pleasant and somewhat gravely tone of Beast Boy's voice. She may not have needed to, but she assumed her familiar lotus position and began to chant in tune with the one beside her.

:-:-:-:-:

Jinx leaned back on the couch and laced her fingers behind her head. Starfire had invited her and Cyborg to accompany Robin and herself, but a discouraging look from their leader behind the happy girl's back indicated he wanted some alone time. It was just as well, because Jinx was still becoming accustomed to life in the tower. Cyborg was the only other person with her in the common room and it seemed the perfect time to talk about the incident this morning.

It wasn't that she was afraid to talk to anyone other than Cyborg about it; it was just that she didn't feel completely comfortable with it. Robin seemed to be a good guy in all respects, but Jinx got the impression that he might take something like this a little over the top. She could tell that there was more to Starfire than her bouts of naivety, but the alien princess didn't seem like the person to go to in this situation. She could only guess at how Raven might react to the information that her boyfriend became extremely hostile over a simple question, so that left Cyborg.

Not that Cyborg would have been her last choice, quite the contrary, she felt closest to him due to their past in the H.I.V.E. academy. Despite the fact that he used his alias 'Stone' she felt that they had truly become friends and possibly something more.

"Hey Cyborg, is it alright if we talk?" She asked.

"Always, what about?" Came his reply after switching the television screen off.

"Well this morning I went down to work out in the gym a little and Beast Boy was already there. I asked him a simple question, something about how he was handling his new powers, and he got pretty nasty."

"What do you mean 'nasty'?" He asked.

"Nasty like he nearly bit my head off. He apologized after saying that he needed to meditate but it seemed weird." She sighed. "Has he taken offense to any comments about the power switch before this?"

"No he hasn't. I'm surprised something as simple as that set him off… Maybe he did just need to meditate." Cyborg murmured. "In any case, I wouldn't worry about it. BB a good guy, he wouldn't hold anything as simple as that against you."

"I hope he doesn't…"

:-:-:-:-:

It was amazing how much good a little meditation could do for the mind. Unlike his reflections earlier that morning, meditation is actually clearing one's mind of all thoughts to achieve a state of balance and inner peace. True meditation takes years to master but Beast Boy had felt similar things to meditation in the most ironic of places: video games.

Whenever he played on the game station by himself and focused hard enough, it became as though he wasn't really there. Not in his body, not in the video game, not even in the room, but as if his being was taking a nap and his body was going autopilot. It was almost as if there was an entirely different person where his body used to be, someone cold and calculating, doing nothing more than playing to win in the most efficient way possible.

That feeling of inner balance and peace was often achieved in this state of mindlessness. There were no thoughts just actions, and that had been his meditation.

Beast Boy could feel himself slowly coming back to his body and started to regain his senses. He could again feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and smell the fresh sea air. He heard his voice again as it dragged out the syllables of each word and he heard someone else. Raven. She was chanting in time with him and dragged out the words in the same slow and monotone way.

He let his legs down and stretched to get the stiffness out of his muscles and joints. Judging by where the sun was, he'd been in deep meditation for several hours at least and he could feel the minor bite of hunger in his stomach. He'd watched Raven meditate on occasion before the switch and thought she beautiful. Even though he always thought she was beautiful, she just seemed so open when she was in her state of peace and calm, no front of apathy, no scathing remarks, nothing but the real Raven.

He watched her as her delicate lips sounded out the words and resisted a strong urge to kiss her. She looked too perfect the disturb, sitting in the late morning sun with a gentle breeze making the ends of her dark green hair dance and sway around magnificent face.

'Oh man she's beautiful.' He thought to himself.

The tone in Raven's voice changed a little and the pale Titan sensed she was coming out of her meditative state.

"Hey Raven." Said Beast Boy as she opened her eyes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked as she got up.

"Better now that you're here." He said with a smile and gave her a hug. "I'm actually feeling a lot better, not sore at all."

The changeling gave him an unsure look and cast her gaze to the remnants of the metal door. "Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

The short and angering conversation with Rage entered his mind again and he held Raven a little closer, the prospect of loosing her frightening and angering him. Nothing bad was going to happen, right? He knew that Rage was up to something, but what if his words held even the slightest bit of validity? Raven could get hurt or worse and it would be his fault for not telling the other he suspected Jinx. Beast Boy shook his head to clear the unpleasant thought.

"That was just a little emotional outburst." He said, gesturing towards the doorway. "I was meditating to calm down and I feel fine."

"That's good, I asked Cyborg to save some breakfast but it looks more like lunchtime. Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven placed her dishes in the sink and began to run the hot water over them. Beast Boy had just finished explaining how the conversation with Robin went and she was just processing the information. Though Raven had been in his mind and knew perfectly well the extremes he was capable of, it was still a little shocking to hear Robin admit that he would do the same were he in Beast Boy's position.

Raven lacked her original empathic ability, but her heightened animal senses gave her something similar to it. It may have just been the fact that she seemed keenly aware of all her companions' body language, but it was almost like they emitted different smells to give away what they were feeling. When she put the two together, it was very easy to come to a conclusion about what that person might be feeling.

It was fairly obvious that the subject of Dr. Light was still weighing heavily on Beast Boy and Raven wanted to help him through this time. Was there a way to go about it without upsetting him? Maybe she could just try to talk to him about it and see what he thought about it.

"I can tell it still bothers you, do you want to talk about it?"

He was making his way to the sink when she spoke and she could see that he stiffened slightly. It appeared that it was weighing very heavily on him to get that kind of a reaction.

He was silent for a moment but eventually replied. "Ye-No… Maybe a little later."

:-:-:-:-:

"I can tell it still bothers you, do you want to talk about it?" Asked Raven.

Beast Boy cringed a slightly at her question, he didn't need to ask what she was referring to because the fact that he took a life did still remain with him.

'Why should you feel guilty?' Came the voice of Rage. 'That coward was going to die sooner or later, we just made it the former. I can't wait until we get to kill the next fool who crosses our path.'

He was starting to grow very tired of hearing from this emotion. 'Shut up now Rage. I should never have killed and I'm never going to do it again.'

'Really? I know you enjoyed it, you know you enjoyed it, if you have the power to do the things you enjoy, you do them.'

'SHUT UP!'

"Ye-No… Maybe a little later."

The dark empath immediately felt her hesitation to drop the subject but she did.

"Alright… Do you just want to relax then? I could go for a nap."

Beast Boy's previous apprehensions moved to the back of his mind and he allowed a small smile. Taking a midday nap on the couch with the girl he loved in his arms sounded like a pretty good idea.

* * *

I apologize for the overly long wait again but I had a bad case of writer's block and life, both of which I had assistance for CalliopeMused with. I had great difficulty writing the latter half of the chapter due to some goings on in my life and I think I may have to take a little time off writing this story to sort it out. I know it's been a month since I last updated but this would have been here a week and a half sooner were it not for the aforementioned goings on. The good new is that my cast should bee of in about a week so my typing speed will more than double and the following chapters will come out much more quickly when I get back to writing them. 

In the meantime, my thoughts have turned to writing a story with a tragic tone to it. It's my hopes that if I write a longer one-shot about this, I will be able to get back to writing this story without a sad influence looming over my head. Having said that, I don't know what the title will be but I expect to have it done within the next few weeks.

I consumed three cans of Coca Cola during the writing of this chapter.

I am again sorry for taking so long to update but I'm grateful to all who are still sticking with me.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.


	18. Escalating Problems

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

After having written a sufficient amount of tragedy (The story isn't finished and I'm not sure if I will finish it), my muse has come back with a vengeance and has filled my head with ideas for a sequel to this story. Keep in mind that I plan to write my road trip story first, but that should only take a couple months or so.

I've received many questions to the tune of 'are they going to switch back?' and I'm going to tell you all right now: No. I have plans for them in the sequel that requires them to retain their current powers. If you don't like the idea of them staying as they are now for half of another story, don't fret because they won't. Without ruining the story I can tell you that they will have their rightful powers back in the first chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Beast Boy could smell blood, the air was thick with it and he could feel it seeping into his clothes. He opened his eyes and tried to get up, the hand he tried to prop himself up on made a sickening squishing noise in the blood soaked carpet.

The room he was in was dark, too dark to see much of anything and it was completely silent, save for Beast Boy's heavy breathing. He knew he was still in the tower and judging by the general quiet, it was probably very late at night. But where was he? And where did all the blood come from? Was it his? The last thing he remembered was going to sleep in his own bed, but this wasn't his room; the lights of the city illuminated his room.

He felt around his body to try and determine the source of the blood but found nothing; he couldn't be conscious if all this were his.

"Hello?" He called out.

No reply came from the darkness. Wild thoughts were beginning to race through his mind: What had happened? Did he hurt someone? Where was he? He quickly found his way to the nearest wall and bumped into a set of closed blinds. Moonlight crept under the edges of the swaying blinds and he yanked on the cord, desperate to see what was going on.

His heart froze at the scene the light had revealed; blood was everywhere, the walls were smashed, bookcases shattered, the bed torn, and there laying in the midst of it all was Raven. This destroyed room belonged to her and it was apparent that the blood did as well. On her face was a contorted look of horror and her mouth formed a perpetually silent scream. She was dead, completely eviscerated and Beast Boy was sure he would have been sick if he weren't petrified in place.

This couldn't be happening, it wasn't right. He raised a hand to cover his mouth and saw the blood; his hands were covered in it, all the way up passed his elbows. All he could do was stare at the blood, it looked almost black against his pale skin in the dim moonlight. Tears started to fall from his wide eyes.

"What have I done?" He whispered.

'You killed her.' Answered Rage. 'It's in your nature, demons kill, cause pain and suffering, and they enjoy it. Do you see what happens? Do you see what happens when you are not allowed to kill those who deserve death? We hurt the ones we love.'

Beast Boy collapsed to his knees and doubled over, spilling the contents of his stomach. The sight of her like… Like that, was just too much. He knew that he couldn't bear to live without her, but knowing that he killed her? No, it couldn't have been him, he wouldn't.

"You did this!" He cried angrily.

'Me? You still don't understand it do you? There is no me, I'm just one of your emotions, just a piece of you. You were the one who did this.'

Beast Boy quickly stood, his expression of sorrow quickly replaced by one of a wrathful rage. The shattered remnants of the room became awash with dark energy and objects began to fly off, smashing into walls and one another with violent intent. Beast Boy's face no longer depicted just his anger, but is four glowing crimson eyes betrayed his recently acquired demonic heritage.

"BULLSHIT! YOU KILLED HER! I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!" Beast Boy yelled in his inhuman voice.

He reached for the hand mirror perched on the vanity and everything went black.

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy shot bolt upright in bed with a sharp gasp. He felt moist all over and quickly ripped the blankets back to check for blood. Nothing but sweat. He was in his room, the lights from the city filtered in through half-drawn blinds to reveal his bloodless carpet.

The objects in his room were beginning to rise off the ground and he quickly shut his eyes.

'Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…' He silently chanted.

The image of Raven, bloody and torn struck him and all concentration was lost, it proved to provoke his emotional imbalance and things in his room were getting worse. The window blinds tore themselves off the wall and broke apart with a loud racket, carpet rip to shreds, the window shattered, and the drywall began to crumble.

He couldn't calm himself, the thought of Raven dead still made him feel ill and he knew he wouldn't be able to control his powers. He thrust open the door and ran down the hallway as quickly as he could. The darkness followed him, causing the metal walls to crumple and every light bulb he passed to shatter. He moved to the stairs as quickly as he could, hoping to get to the front doors before he caused too much damage. He didn't trust his ability to fly from the nearer exit on the roof at the moment.

The loud noise was bound to wake someone and Robin appeared in his doorway ahead of Beast Boy.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Beast Boy didn't answer, partly because he was trying to prevent damage to the tower, but more so because he could still feel the anger from the dream seething within him. Robin's hand shot forward as he passed and he caught Beast Boy by the arm.

"What's happening Beast Boy?" Asked the Titans' leader as he surveyed the destruction going on in the hall.

"I don't have time for this!" The empath shouted angrily as he knocked Robin back into his room with a large amount of telekinetic force.

He was off again before Robin hit the ground, down the hall and through the stairway door with a loud bang as it crashed into the wall. His powers were causing more damage now, metal handrails were breaking and the concrete steps around him were crumbling but still he ran. He ran because he had to get away from his friends, from Raven, so he didn't hurt any of them. The beach outside the tower was fairly barren; the only casualties to he lack of control would be the rocks, if only he could get there faster.

He exited the final flight of stairs into the lobby next to the elevator. The elevator would most likely have been a little faster but the damage the powers were doing now would probably caused it to plummet, along with Beast Boy, to the basement. As he approached the massive front doors, the thick metal began to twist and bend leaving a large enough opening to move through with little trouble, it also saved the pale Titan from having to deactivate the security system.

Rocks began to crack and splinter while others just rose up into the air, the calm ocean water of the inner bay was now broken with twisting eddies and the splashes caused by flying rock fragments. Beast Boy sat and quickly began chanting to calm himself, however, his voice was far from calm and it sounded as though every syllable took a great effort to force out.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

'What the hell is going on here Rage?' He thought angrily. 'I know that wasn't just a nightmare, what are you going to do to make me hurt Raven?'

'Did that little dream teach you nothing?' Came Rage's malevolent voice. 'You say you want to protect her but you soon won't be able to protect her from yourself! Demons kill! There is someone here who wishes to do harm to the one you hold dear, would you really rather let her live and let your demonic side release it's need for blood on Raven?'

"That's not going to happen Rage! That nightmare was something you created and it's something you're going to do!" Beast Boy shouted out loud.

'How many times do you have to hear this? THERE IS NO ME! I am simply a part of you and anything that happens to Raven is a result of your own doing.'

"I refuse to believe that I will ever do anything like…" His voice wavered for a moment. "Like that to Raven!"

'You'd better believe it because that's the truth. Have you ever considered that you may just want to hurt Raven? Could it be that you're powers are going to act out and harm her for the way she treated you before? Think about it, she never once gave you a reason to be kind to her but you always were, you always bounced right back to cheer her up even if she physically harmed you. She's not a kind person, why do you think she's so special? You should eliminate her along with all the others, they do nothing but cause you pain.'

The calm and calculated manner that Rage was speaking in was fueling Beast Boy's anger along with what he said. He knew that it was all bullshit and he would never raise a hand to Raven, but the fact that the emotion actually though he would even consider killing her along with the rest of his friends was something that made his blood boil.

He was angry, he was too angry to say anything to this emotion. What could he say? Shut up? That's a lie? There was obviously nothing he could say to stop Rage from spouting his violent ideas and they were causing his powers to act out that much more. Boulders were imploding all around and the dark energy that was doing it all blocked the night-lights of the city from his view. He was sure that the destruction was causing a great deal of noise, but he could barely hear it for the rage he felt.

'Do it now, you could destroy the tower and it would all be over, they'd all be dead.'

Beast Boy was about to start screaming that he would never do such a thing when it suddenly struck him; there was something wrong with what Rage was saying. His demonic side had confessed that he loved Raven, wasn't that supposed to be the part of him that would kill her? Something was wrong with Rage, there could be no part of him that would willingly do harm to Raven, no part would even think to hurt her.

He did the best he could to calm himself and most of the objects affected by his energies were released back down to the earth.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked aloud.

'I'm just telling you your true desires, you try to tell yourself you don't, but it's all you really want.'

"I told my demonic side the lengths I would go to protect Raven and that applies to you too Rage. You want me to hurt her and everyone else for some reason but I won't do it, I'm going to come into my mind and deal with you there, I'll do whatever is necessary to protect Raven."

'Is that a threat? Is that your way of telling me that you'll kill me? I welcome you to try.'

The last of the powers had released their hold of the objects around him and the only evidence that anything had happened at all was the jagged edges of the newly formed small rocks and the rapidly calming surface of the water.

:-:-:-:-:

Trigon frowned slightly. He had intended for this boy to come in to his mind eventually so he could take control of him, but he had planned to gain more power before he did so. That was not to say his power was not already vast seeing as it had practically doubled with the nightmare he'd planted, but he would have preferred to have gained more before his confrontation.

In retrospect, it probably would have been wise to stop angering the boy by suggesting he kill all of his friends, but Trigon had been wrapped up in the rush of all the talk of bloodshed and the desire to rid himself of his daughter and the others. Oh well, he now had the pleasure of killing them himself.

'It looks like Beast Boy won't let you take over, he won't let you hurt Raven.'

Trigon quickly forced the emotion down. He didn't want to hear whatever Rage had to say right now. The fact that the emotion had again risen up to speak against him was an insult in and of itself. There were more pressing matters to deal with in any case, he had to get to the boy as soon as he came into his mind to be able to take over his physical body.

Even then it would take several hours to fully posses his body, some of the time would be spent breaking his will, but he didn't expect that would take very long; what's a few hours to a being who's existed for eons? It's very easy to break someone's will if you know what they hold dear, and it was easy to see what this boy cared for.

:-:-:-:-:

Jinx followed Cyborg down the hallway toward the common room. She was forced to jog to keep up with Cyborg's large stride and they both arrived to meet Robin and Starfire in a small amount of time. Starfire looked to be in her night ware as she was wearing sweat pajama pants and a worn t-shirt, she had a look of confusion on her face and was looking to Robin for the reason of their awakening. Robin was also out of uniform in a pair of shorts and a shirt, he unlike Starfire, was obviously concerned and looked uncertain.

"Dude, what smashed up the tower?" Cyborg asked, waving his hand to the disarray in the hallway behind him.

"Beast Boy." Robin simply replied.

"Why would Beast Boy want to destroy our home?"

"I don't think he really wanted to destroy it Star… Do you guys remember when Raven pulled Dr. Light into the darkness inside her? That was because she lost control of one of her emotions, I think the same thing is happening to Beast Boy because he seemed really angry." He explained.

Jinx hadn't heard of the prior incident with Dr. Light but Robin had summed it up well enough. The hallway looked thoroughly trashed and it probably took a great deal of power to do it. They had to get him back in control.

"So the Trigon is in Beast Boy's mind and is making him do the mean things?" Asked Starfire.

"That's not exactly what happened with Raven." Said Cyborg. "Her personification of Rage took on the appearance of Trigon when it tried to take over. You're thinking Rage is acting up in Beast Boy now?"

"That's the only I could see him acting that way. The security system says he's out on the beach now, he's been there for a few minutes."

The Titans' leader hit a few keys on the computer consol and the camera overlooking the inner bay came up. Quite a bit of destruction was going on around the empath and he seemed to be talking to himself. The camera's lack of a microphone left them to guess as to what he might be saying.

"Should we not alert Raven and go into his mind to defeat his Rage?"

"When BB and me went into Raven's mind, she warned us that if Rage won we'd be trapped in her mind forever. We were able to beat Rage, barely, but Raven had to join up with all her emotions to do it. Maybe Beast Boy can do that too but I don't know if he can control his powers enough to fight like she did."

Jinx sighed a little, it all sounded so far fetched and she would have thought they were all crazy were it not for the serious way they were talking. It sounded like there was a risk, but people could get hurt if they didn't do something. This whole good guy thing was starting to affect her better judgment.

"So what are we supposed to do?" She asked.

"Well, there are obvious dangers involved in going in to his mind and there are obvious dangers in doing nothing. We don't know enough about what's going on though; we need to find out more before we make a decision that could put everyone at risk. Did Raven sleep through all that noise? We need her to tell us everything she knows about this."

"I shall go raise her from her sleep." Said Starfire as she flew out of the common room.

The Titans were too busy paying attention to the conversation to notice that Beast Boy had walked off of the giant screen behind them in the direction of the tower.

:-:-:-:-:

It was actually quite frightening to think of the devastation Beast Boy's powers could cause if he weren't in control. Raven moved quickly down the hallway to meet with the others. The hallway itself wouldn't take all that long to repair, they had had much experience with replacing damaged sections of the structure following Terra's betrayal, but that was the last thing on Raven's mind at the moment.

Starfire had told her that Beast Boy had lost control and was outside the tower at the moment, Robin seemed to think an emotions was behind it but he really had no experience with such things so she decided she'd draw her own conclusions. She was concerned that he could harm himself but she was also concerned about what was causing him to loose control. Over the past week and a half, he had gained an amazing deal of control over his emotions and suddenly just loosing all that didn't seem right. Then again, he was still very troubled about what happened with Dr. Light; that may be testing his control. Another possibility was that Robin might be right, could Rage be trying to take over Beast Boy as it had tried her so many years ago? There were too many unknowns and now the Titans were looking to her for an answer.

The doors slid open and she and Starfire walked in to see the others looking directly at her.

"Starfire told you about what's going on?" Robin asked.

"Yes, you think Beast Boy has lost control of his emotions and they're controlling him now."

"I don't know if he's being controlled, but I do think something's going on to make him act this way."

"What did his eyes look like? How many were there?" She asked.

"They were normal I think, just two of them and green. Why?"

That was a bit of a relief, it meant that Rage was not trying to control his actions.

"That means that Rage is not doing this, it could just be the fact that he's still very unsettled about what he did to Dr. Light. If that's the case we just have to talk to him about it, normally I'd suggest a counselor, but reliving the event and discussing it would cause his powers to lash out."

"Do you think it wise for all of us to see him now? Maybe it would be better if only a few of us see him at a time." Said Starfire.

"We still need to find out what is the definite cause of this, do you think you can try to find out Raven?"

"Sure, where is he?"

Cyborg turned to the main screen. "Out on the-hey! He's not outside anymore." He typed a few quick commands into the computer. "Looks like he's in your room."

:-:-:-:-:

It was dark and quiet, just like the dream. Beast Boy slid the door open the rest of the way to see that unlike the dream, the room was immaculate except for the mess of blankets on the bed. He didn't know if he was sad or relieved to find that Raven wasn't there. In any case, he had to get this over with so he wouldn't hurt his friends.

The ornate hand mirror sat to the side on the large vanity, to the uninformed it would be no different from any of the other antique objects in the room but this was different. This object had a stronger connection to him than anything else on the planet and he grabbed it.

One might think that you would hold to portal to your mind with the greatest of care, but Beast Boy's hands were moving with intent. Intent to do everything possible to stop that horrid nightmare from ever becoming a reality.

He looked to the reflective surface and felt something odd, instead of a dark vortex, he just felt cold. It came from the handle, almost like it was sucking his body heat into it. Before he could even think to put the mirror down, some invisible force violently wrenched him inside.

* * *

Ok, I know this chapter is uber short and it took me like a gujillion (yes that's a unit of measure I created) years to post this but fear not! Chapter 19 is soon in coming and **_will_** be out some time next week. So please, put down the sharp sticks and be ready for the evilness that is Trigon next week! 

The last few pages would still be nonexistent were it not for CalliopeMused telling me to get off my procrastinating ass to write them. Send her something nice for Christmas, better yet, check out her stories and REVIEW them!

Thanks for putting up with me and reading my story.


	19. Courage

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Oh man, if you'd told me when I was writing the first chapter of this story that it would not only make it past chapter ten, but actually survive for nineteen chapters and receive reviews in the hundreds, I would have told you that you were stark raving mad. The people who really made this story possible were the reviewers, who gave me wonderful feedback and encouragement, and those who went above and beyond and e-mailed me suggestions and help when I needed it. Thanks!

This is the second to last chapter I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: If you didn't get this from the first eighteen chapters, I don't own the Teen Titans! Any characters contained within this story are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

It's funny how the mind can wander when you're completely content. You begin to think of things that you barely notice exist on a regular day, like the smell of summer on the wind, the warm rays of the sun, or the feel of grass against the skin. If life can be like this at times, why do people fight? Why should there be a need for heroes? It's this state of contentment that makes you happy to be alive and there's almost nothing that can improve it. Almost nothing.

The gentle heat of the sun and the fresh air had put Beast Boy halfway between consciousness and unconsciousness and he became aware of that one and only thing that improved that feeling of contentment. Love. His love was lying right next to him in the grass, he had his arm around her as she did him and he felt her wonderful body mold up against his. It was as if they had been made to fit together and their body heat meshed to join them into something different than two people. Something closer.

The sky was a nearly cloudless azure backdrop to the bustling city and sparkling ocean beyond. They had gone out for a picnic and found a perfect grassy hillside that had a commanding view of Jump City and the surrounding area. The entire day had been perfect, just him and her together.

Vaguely aware that he would soon fall asleep, Beast Boy decided to tell Raven he loved her. It was not as though she needed him to tell her, but simply saying 'I love you' never came close to the true feelings he had for her. It was times like this that made him wish he were more poetic.

His first attempt was little more than a mumble and he took in a deep breath, taking her marvelously relaxing scent with it.

"I love you Raven." He managed.

His proclamation was met with laughter. Not that of Raven's, but someone, else's someone twisted and wrong.

It was coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time and it was steadily getting louder.

:-:-:-:-:

It had been all too easy. Trigon tore free of his many metal restraints like they were nothing more than thread and attacked the emotions quickly and relentlessly. He'd caught them by surprise at first, and that made it all the easier. He made quick work of beating the emotions that resided closest to his arid canyon into submission before assimilating them, adding them to his power. After that, the rest threw themselves at him, like lambs to the slaughter. Of course emotions akin to Bravery managed to put up a little fight, but it only took him a little longer to finish with them than it did the others.

His power grew greatly after he absorbed this boy's representation of his demon side and he only had one emotion left to deal with. It had fled though, the moment it had become aware that it was not Rage that had broke free, but the actual Trigon the Terrible. It was of little concern to him, this coward would do nothing and could do nothing to interfere even if it wanted to.

The plan was going without a hitch; the boy was lying in the flat of the giant red demon's hand in a dream-induced state. To make this plan work, Trigon had to erase the boy's memory of that night and caused him to believe this dream was really happening. Maybe dream was the wrong word, very soon his bliss would turn into his very worst nightmare. The best part? Trigon could see and control everything that was going on in this little 'dream' world.

"I love you Raven."

That was it, the signal he'd been waiting for to break the child. He started laughing at the thought of it, the thought that he'd be coming into the world and breaking this boy's fragile mind in one felled swoop.

He entered the dream and lifted the boy and the fabrication of his daughter up with his crimson powers. The pale boy struggled for a moment before he became truly aware of what was happening.

"Trigon!" He shouted. "You can't be here, Raven killed you!"

"Do you really think that a being as powerful as myself can die? I've returned to your world to conquer this universe! Not before I exact my revenge on those who stopped me the first time though."

A lance of dark energy thrust itself in Trigon's direction but merely splashed off his chest as if it were water when it struck him. He laughed maniacally at the meager attempt.

"**My daughter's power comes from me, there is no way it can harm me."** He brought the false Raven closer for examination. **"Did I say my daughter? Look at this weak creature, there is no demon here at all. It is you who harbors the demon blood boy, or should I say, son."**

Trigon took great pleasure in the way his face contorted at his last word, this would be far easier than he thought.

"There is no way in hell I could ever be considered your son! I have a father and he wasn't some fucked up demon bent on destroying the universe!"

"**The demon inside you feels very differently and I intend to nurture it. Unlike the weak fool this girl was, I can see a deep evil within you. The only thing keeping your power from the world is this whelp here."** He shook Raven in front of him, eliciting a small whimper that was muffled by a band of his dark red power around her mouth.

"Fine, you want me to release my deep evil? I'll do that and all the dirty work you want so long as you let Raven go." He said with underlying desperation in his voice.

"**And why would I let her go? She's the one polluting your mind with talk of such frivolous things as 'love'."** He spat the word with distain. **"No, I have a much better use for her. You will kill her my son and in doing so, release your true self."**

"Do you seriously think I'm going to kill Raven? I hate to tell you this, but I'd die before ever even thinking that."

**"How noble, fool. You will kill her because if you don't I will, and I promise you that it will be a torturously long and painful death. Do you think you can bear to hear her screams of anguish? Is it not better to give her a quick and painless death than to let her suffer?"**

The expression of anger left the empath's face as he calculated what he could do. He looked to the Raven and looked into her eyes, Trigon had manipulated her to cry. The utter chaos the must have been eating away at the boy at that moment was priceless, Trigon was sure he'd remember it for centuries.

"Rae… I… I don't know what to do…" He said in distress.

The band of energy covering Raven's mouth disappeared and she began to speak. "It's ok Beast Boy, I don't blame you for this but it's better that you do it quickly."

:-:-:-:-:

Kill Raven? There was no way. But he was going to torture her… He couldn't let her suffer like that… He looked deeply into those two violet orbs he'd come to love so much, she was crying and it hurt him to see her like that.

"Rae… I… I don't know what to do…"

"It's ok Beast Boy, I don't blame you for this but it's better that you do it quickly."

She then closed her eyes as if she expected him to do it right then and there.

'She… What? Just like that? No goodbye? I don't think Raven would ever ask me to do something like this, even in this situation let alone ask me flat out without some kind of goodbye.'

"R-Rae?"

"Just do it!" She shouted through closed eyes.

**"You see my son? She wishes for a quick end, be merciful and grant it."**

Beast Boy looked from Raven to Trigon and back again. This couldn't be Raven, she'd never ask this of him.

"Whoever or whatever she is, she isn't Raven." He said glaring coldly at Trigon. "What's going on here?"

:-:-:-:-:

Raven was flung from the dark swirling vortex to the hard dusty ground. She was a little annoyed that she always landed so unceremoniously even when she knew what to expect, but there were more pressing matters right now. After finding her room untouched but for the hand mirror in the middle of the floor, it wasn't hard to guess Beast Boy's whereabouts.

She'd barely gotten up before she heard a voice.

"You have to get out of here, now!"

She thought that it belonged to Beast Boy for a moment but could plainly see by the clothing that it was an emotion.

"Fear?" She asked, a little uncertain.

So was only uncertain about this emotion's identity because of the way he spoke. If it had been Fear, she'd have expected him to be a great deal more hesitant and speak with a wavering voice.

"Yes I'm Fear but you have to get to the forbidden door now. Trigon is here and he's captured the others."

"Calm down, its just Rage but he does have to be stopped. Where's Beast Boy?"

"No! You don't understand! This is Trigon and he has Beast Boy as well as the others. There's no time to argue, you have to get out of here now while Trigon's attention is focused on Beast Boy." He said firmly.

Raven studied his intense expression. Could he be right? Was it possible that this was Trigon?

"Where's Beast Boy? If this is Trigon, we have to help him."

Fear growled in frustration. "Look! There's nothing you or anyone can do for him now! Just get out of here and tell the others, I'll do what I can but I really doubt I can stop him. Trigon will be very weak after he possesses Beast Boy, you have a chance to stop him as soon as he comes out of the mirror."

"There's no wa-" Fear cut her off.

"I would never ask you to do this, Beast Boy would never ask you to do this, you have to tell Robin to do it. Tell him it's to protect Starfire."

:-:-:-:-:

The fact that this boy had seen through not one, but two of his deceptions infuriated Trigon. How had he known his fake wasn't the real Raven? He'd captured the emotions now, but it would be difficult if not impossible to take control of a fully aware mortal. Were he actually in the same dimension, it would be a much different story, but that wasn't the case.

This was a major set back but it wasn't going to deter him, not when he was this close. So he'd have to fight this boy for dominance over his body, he had a shot at it, but it would be best to try it with all the power he could muster. If he acted quickly, he could find that last coward of an emotion and absorb him.

Being omnipotent had its perks, especially when looking for something. Trigon swept his consciousness throughout the boy's mind in search of the emotion.

**"Ah, there you are… What this? She is here? Perhaps my original plan can still be executed."**

With his unconscious portal in hand, Trigon thundered off in the direction of his daughter and the final emotion. His recent good fortune was almost too good to believe; first, a switch occurred giving him access to an unguarded mind to act as his portal, and now when it seemed his carefully thought out plan was lost, this boy's very worst weakness walked right into his hands. The fact that everything seemed to be falling into place almost made up for his defeat a year ago, almost.

The things he was going to do to those mortals was going to be the sweetest revenge he'd tasted in a long time. Perhaps he'd hunt down his former servant first- he was getting ahead of himself. Deal with this now, and then punish those who deserve it.

He'd spotted them, and it appeared they were aware of him. The emotion grabbed the girl's shoulder and tried to phase them away but it was of no use. He was the last free emotion and being separated from his counterparts made him even weaker than before. They were enveloped in dark crimson auras and brought to a halt.

**"Did you really think you could hide forever Fear? I really must thank you for bringing my daughter to me, I wasn't sure that I could take this boy without her."** He flicked his wrist sharply causing Beast Boy's head to jerk to the side, waking him. **"So what do you think boy? I now have your 'precious' Raven, a part of you actually brought her to me."**

:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy looked around franticly, he was in Trigon's firm grip and it looked like there was very little that could change that. He was hoping that this was all just some bad dream, but after awaking, he remembered all that had happened since the argument with 'Rage'.

**"So what do you think boy? I now have your 'precious' Raven, a part of you actually brought her to me."** He said, tilting his hand slightly to allow the Titan to see past his massive knuckle.

Was this just another scheme of Trigon's? Or could this actually be Raven? He didn't recognize the emotion next to her, but the look on his face seemed to say he'd have been curled up in the fetal position were he not held in place.

**"I give you the choice you had before, you kill her, or I do in the most painful way imaginable."**

Something about his was definitely not right, Trigon had a sort of cocky air about him, almost as if he'd already won.

"Raven?"

"Let him go Trigon! You have no right to use him like this!"

That was Raven it had to be.

**"I have all the right in the universe to do this. _My_ blood courses through his veins, _my_ power is what gives him strength, I may use my son in any way I see fit."** He taunted.

"HE IS NOT YOUR SON! AN ABOMINATION LIKE YOU COULD NEV-" A wave of Trigon's free hand muffled out the rest of her words.

**"Choose now or I will start to torture her."**

"You can't! Take me instead, I'll do whatever you want." Beast Boy begged. "You have no need for her."

**"I will not lower myself to bargain with you child. If you cannot decide, then you forfeit your right to end her suffering."**

The dark empath thought of any possible way out of this predicament. Could his powers hurt Trigon? His only weak point on the outside of his body looked to be his eyes. Maybe that would give him enough time to get Raven to safety. He looked into Raven's eyes, there was something there that had never been in the copy's, and it was something powerful and real.

**"Your indecisiveness has forced my hand boy. Say goodbye to her now because she won't be able to hear you over her own agony soon enough."**

Trigon raised his free arm and leveled it at Raven.

"No you can't! Leave her out of this! RAVEN!" Beast Boy thrashed and fought as hard as he could but it was futile.

**"Time to die dau-"** A blinding flash and deafeningly loud explosion knocked both Trigon and Beast Boy back about a dozen feet.

:-:-:-:-:

Raven shook off the shock of the loud noise and bright light quickly. Trigon had been knocked to the ground, but Beast Boy was still in his grasp. What had caused the explosion? Had the others come in after her? She saw no sign to indicate that the distraction was caused by one of Robin's explosive disks…

As the last of the faint ringing left her ears, her attention was brought to a heavy breathing above her. Fear was hovering about ten feet above her with his arms outstretched toward Trigon. That was probably one of the last things she'd have expected to see because once they had been captured, it appeared that Fear had reverted to his usual terrified self.

Trigon too rose quickly from the unexpected attack. He looked enraged that anyone could catch him by surprise, but his look of anger soon gave way to one of amusement.

**"The coward? Well it looks like you've grown a spine after all, it won't help you now though."**

"Raven, go now." Fear whispered urgently over his shoulder.

Trigon snapped his arm forward and a flash of crimson shot toward Fear at an alarming speed. A dark half bubble appeared in front of him but it was not enough to stop the assault, the shield flickered and shattered into innumerable pieces before evaporating into thin air and Fear was thrown down to the ground. The red demon's arm leveled itself at Raven again.

**"Now that that little annoyance has been taken ca-"** Trigon stopped mid-sentence and looked past Raven. **"Why do you persist? You must know that you are no match for my power, yet you betray your fearful nature. Tell me, are you not afraid?"**

"Terrified, but having courage is not being fearless, it's being afraid but acting in spite of it." Said Fear as he shakily placed himself in front of Raven. "So long as any part of Beast Boy draws breath, he won't let you hurt Raven."

Raven looked to Beast Boy, he was still struggling against Trigon's grip but his mouth had been covered. Trigon was going to get bored of toying with Fear very soon, she just needed to find a way to get Beast Boy out of here. Maybe if she were able to surprise him, he would release him long enough to escape.

She stood and began to transform into a tyrannosaurus rex as fast as she could. Her actions were brought to a screeching halt as more of that accursed red energy surrounded her.

**"Stay where you are. I grow weary of this, your power will be added to my own Fear."**

With that, Fear let out a cry of pain and his physical representation melted away. What was left in his place was a dark mass that flowed towards Trigon's open hand. It seeped through his red skin and a chilling smile graced his lips.

**"Now look on as the one you love dies."**

**'You as well Rage, I told you that you would be here to witness this.'**

:-:-:-:-:

Raven let out a tormented cry as the dark energy that surrounded her crackled and pulsated. Trigon had waited over a year for this moment, not long in the grand scheme of things, but it had seemed like it took centuries because of his unjust defeat. His musings were interrupted as the boy in his hand shouted out, he was enjoying the sound of his daughters suffering so much that he must have released his hold over his mouth.

"AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

**"I have all of your emotions, you are powerless."**

"Stop this! Stop hurting her!" Raven cried out louder. "STOP IT NOW! AHHHH!"

His head fell forward and rested limply against his fist.

**'Now what was all that about?'** Trigon thought.

'You're about to find out!' Came the voice of Rage.

Something was happening inside, he could feel it. It started as a sore feeling in his bones but steadily spread all over. The boy he held was thrashing about and seemed to be changing, growing fur, green fur.

'You hurt Raven! You're not welcome here!'

The voice hadn't been that of Rage, it was something deeper almost as if it were a growl. It suddenly hit Trigon, it was the Beast.

**"But you're nothing but an animal!"** He cried aloud. **"No mere beast can defeat me!"**

Trigon could hear the desperation in his own voice, the Beast was gaining control and forcing him out. Of all Rage's attempts to regain control of his body, none had been this strong.

Beast Boy fell to the ground unconscious. His body was somewhere in between human and Beast but it looked as if he was steadily progressing toward the latter of the two. Trigon's transformation was the same, he fought but there was no way he'd be able to keep his hold on the body.

How could this happen? How could he fail again? He felt his consciousness slipping from the dimension as the Beast forced the last of his power out of the body. This wasn't supposed to be possible, he had all of the emotions, all of the power. Just as he was forced out, he realized how he engineered his own downfall.

:-:-:-:-:

"It was coming from this way, hurry!" Shouted Robin.

Raven had been gone for over an hour since she left to check on Beast Boy and Starfire was getting very anxious. Cyborg had figured they both talked for a while and fell asleep together since his scanners said they hadn't moved, but that hadn't been enough to calm the auburn haired Titan's worries. She immediately got the others when she found that they were in fact not in Raven's room at all.

Robin had been wary to lead the team into an environment he knew so little about, but two of his teammates, two of his _friends_ could be in danger.

**"But you're nothing but an animal! No mere beast can defeat me!"**

They were definitely headed in the right direction, the sound was coming for just beyond the next hill. They came to a clearing just in time to see a blinding multicolored flash accompanied by something similar to a thunderclap. When his vision cleared, Robin saw both Raven and Beast Boy lying unmoving on the ground.

He was a little confused about what had just happened, but his instincts as leader kicked in.

"Quickly, get them to the medical bay!"

---

So how did you guys like that? There was a little more dialogue than I wanted but I think it turned out pretty well.

The last chapter will try up all the loose ends and explain a few things I thought up as I was writing (I think they make sense). There was a tiny hint in there as to how Trigon was defeated and I'll give a hero cookie to whoever guesses correctly.

I'll try to get the last chapter out next week but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. The holidays are hectic here at best and I'm going to be unable to access the internet after December 22nd until about the 4th of January. With any luck it will be an early Christmas gift.

I forgot to mention that it took two cans of Coca Cola to bring you chapter eighteen and this chapter took three. I'll tally it all up in the end and give you a total in litres.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	20. Ever After

TheUbu (I'd be Ubu but someone took it!)

I'm a crazy Canadian and some of my writing may reflect that. Don't be alarmed and run for the hills, I'm sure it won't hurt too badly.

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, the final chapter of It's Tough to Be Me! I'm not a great author when it comes to winding the story down and wrapping everything up but I'll do the best I can.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans; any characters contained within are not mine and belong to their respective owners with whom I have no affiliation.

* * *

Chapter Twenty

Beast Boy awoke to the slight hum of the air conditioner with a splitting headache. The blinds were drawn in the medical bay but the little light that did filter through lit up the room enough to indicate it was about noon. He was glad the room was dim because just looking at all the little indirect light there made his head hurt.

He reluctantly sat up and looked to his side, Raven was in the bed next to his, and the neutral look on her face suggested she was asleep. Was she ok? What had Trigon done to her?

"Cyborg has said she will be fine."

Starfire sat in one of the chairs at the other side of the room, the expression she wore suggested she had been up worrying but was calming down now that one of her friends had awoken.

"That's good. How long have I been out?"

"Since we retrieved you both late last night. All we heard of Trigon was his cry of defeat, there was a bright flash where we found you and he was nowhere to be found." She said. "It is joyous to see that you have recovered, I only hope that Raven awakens soon as well."

Beast Boy slid out of the bed and stretched a little, that dull pull on all of his muscles was there, an unpleasant reminder of what happened last night. He wasn't really sure of what had happened but he did need to straighten things out. It sounded like Trigon had been pushed out, but how?

'If the other's weren't the ones who did it, then who did?'

"Would you like to sit with me and await for Raven to awaken? Or would you like to get something to eat?" Starfire asked, interrupting Beast Boy's thoughts.

"I think I have to talk to my emotions now and meditate, a lot… I may be back in a few hours." He said.

He brushed some of Raven's dark green hair aside and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Every fiber of his being wanted to stay with her until she woke up, but he knew he needed to find out what happened, after all, there still could be a danger in his mind that could do harm to her.

After looking at her prone form for a moment longer, he made his way to the door.

"Alright, I will tell you if she awakens before you return."

"Thanks Star."

Beast Boy headed down the hall towards Raven's room. He was hoping not to run in to anyone else on the way there because of both his headache, and the fact that he felt a slight apprehension about going back into his mind. If Trigon had been beaten the only trouble he could run into would be Rage, but it felt like he should have told someone about it.

Sure, he hadn't exactly told Starfire flat out that he was going back through the mirror but she wasn't stupid, he was sure she understood what he hadn't directly said. She'd explained on more than one occasion the importance of emotions to Tameranians, maybe she thought it was something he had to do. He knew why he felt guilty though, his mind had been a very hostile place a short time ago, and it was almost a sure thing that Robin would object to anyone going back without more information about what happened to Trigon.

It really didn't matter what anyone said though, he needed to sort out everything that had happened and speaking with his emotions was the only way to accomplish that.

The door slid open quietly and he entered the dark room. The sounds outside the tower seemed to be muffled by the darkness and it was a great relief to his aching brain. He picked up the mirror from the middle of the floor where he dropped it the previous night.

'No going back now.' He thought as he looked upon the reflective surface.

The swirling vortex tugged him in and he spiraled through the dark tunnel, loosing all orientation the moment he lost sight of the room. Having not known which way was up; he landed on the hard and dusty ground in a heap. A yellow clad arm outstretched and helped him to his feet.

"Hello." Greeted Knowledge.

"Hey, what's going on here? Was Trigon beaten?" He asked.

"Yes, he has been driven out of our mind and will not be able to return."

Beast Boy let out a breath of relief, nothing like that would ever happen again; unless Rage were to try and hurt Raven that is.

"So was Rage helping Trigon?"

"Helping Trigon?" Came a voice from behind him. "No, not in the least. He fought Trigon from gaining control for the better part of eight days."

Wisdom stood next to Knowledge and studied the expression on Beast Boy's face.

"Did Rage get rid of Trigon then?"

"No and Yes." Replied Wisdom.

"We all did in a way." Said Knowledge. "Once Trigon started absorbing emotions to gain their power, he separated them from all the others. This separated those emotions from you making them all nothing more than energy for him to use. Fear fled when he learned that this was indeed Trigon and not just Rage and was absorbed after he tried to defend Raven."

Knowledge took a breath and gave Beast Boy a look that seemed to tell him that he should know the rest.

Wisdom continued. "Once Fear was absorbed, all the emotions were reunited and you were essentially inside of Trigon. It was the Beast that really forced him out, but he is only able to exist when all of the emotions are together because he is you."

Beast Boy was silent for a while, mulling over all that had been said. Why had Rage fought against Trigon and how had he done it for so long? And the Beast… It wasn't just part of Rage, it was him. He looked up to both of the emotions.

"Take me to Rage."

:-:-:-:-:

Raven woke up to a great discomfort. Memories of the blinding agony filled her mind; there had just been so much pain… She was in the medical bay though, that meant that the others had come. Did they drive Trigon out of Beast Boy's mind? She looked around at the other medical beds but found them all empty. Where was he? Had he been hurt? How exactly had the others defeat Trigon?

"No…"

Raven's world came crashing down around her at the possibility of what could be. The memory of what Fear said came rushing back to her. "I would never ask you to do this, Beast Boy would never ask you to do this, you have to tell Robin to do it. Tell him it's to protect Starfire."

No they wouldn't. They _couldn't_. But Robin would if it were to protect Starfire…

Just then, the door opened to reveal Jinx and Starfire both talking happily with each other.

"What happened?" Raven immediately asked.

"Cyborg said you should get some rest." Said the pink haired sorceress.

"Yes Raven, you must remain relaxed."

"Where's Beast Boy? Is he ok?" She asked, the frustration rising in her voice.

Starfire walked to her bedside and placed her hand on the changeling's shoulder, gently easing her back down to the bed she'd nearly jumped out of.

"Friend Beast Boy is fine. He's gone to speak to his emotions and meditate."

Raven's features relaxed quickly but a questioning look remained on her face.

"What about Trigon?"

"He was gone by the time we got there. All we saw was a bright flash and then found both of you on the ground." Supplied Jinx.

"Yes, everyone is unharmed. Do you wish for us to bring you some food?"

Raven looked past them to the clock on the wall, it was already three o'clock and her stomach let out a growl.

"I guess I could go for some food."

"I shall retrieve it for you!" With that, Starfire quickly left the room.

A not entirely unpleasant silence fell over the room and Raven looked at Jinx. She was shifting a little awkwardly under her gaze but spoke up.

"Are you ok? I mean, we didn't see what happened but we could hear you screaming… It sounded like whatever was happening really hurt."

"I do really hurt, but I can't describe how it felt… I'll be fine in a few days. So where are Cyborg and Robin?" She asked in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

"Boy wonder's been debating whether or not to go back into Beast Boy's mind to check and see what happened to Trigon with Cyborg for about an hour now. They're still in the kitchen I think."

'Why would they debate about going back in if Beast Boy was already there?'

"I take it Star didn't tell them he's already gone in has she?"

"Nope. I think she figured he needed some time to himself before Robin gets on his case."

Raven smiled, it seemed like Jinx was getting to know the run of the place.

:-:-:-:-:

The red sand and rock crunched under Beast Boy's shoes. He looked over his shoulder to the two emotions that had led him there; they'd offered to come with him, but this was something he needed to do on his own.

From the very beginning he'd thought that Rage wanted to hurt Raven, but he'd been fighting Trigon the whole time. The only reason he though that Rage tried to hurt Raven was because of what happened when he broke his chains. Was it possible that he was only trying to escape?

'Maybe he fought Trigon so he could be the one to take over my mind.' He tried to rationalize. 'Something just doesn't feel right about that though…'

The distance between them grew even smaller and he could see the chains that had bound him before held him in place. The thick shackles that were affixed to his body reflected the dusty red surroundings on their metallic surface. He was completely motionless though, not even turning his head to look at Beast Boy. When he finally stopped only feet away from the emotion, there was a slight rattle from the chain connected to the shackle around his neck and he looked him dead in the eye.

Rage was the first to break the silence. "You."

"Yes, I've come to speak with you." He said. "I have to thank you for what you did, fighting Trigon like that."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for Raven." He spat.

Beast Boy looked at him for a second, he could feel the unadulterated distained radiating from Rage, all of it directed at him.

"I know and that's why I'm thanking you. Before, I thought you wanted to hurt her but I know now that you wouldn't because I wouldn't. You hate me, why is that? What have I done to you that makes you hate me so?"

"You're weak! Only the strong survive! It is disgusting to think a creature like you can be the one who Raven loves. She needs someone strong enough to protect her from threats like Trigon."

"We defeated Trigon, Raven is safe because we did manage to protect her."

Rage's whole body tensed and he slowly pulled his arm restraints taught.

"We did not protect her, she was harmed! The only reason Trigon was defeated was because the Beast drove him out. The Beast is strong that is why it was able to protect her." Said Rage in anger.

"We were able to drive him out because we are all part of the Beast, you, Bravery, and even Fear. You and the others are me and if you want to hate them and me because you think we're weak, go ahead but know that there is not a single one of them that would not die before ever thinking of forsaking her."

The expression in Rage's face softened slightly and his pull on the chains ceased. He was looking at Beast Boy in something similar to confusion and his intense hatred gave way to uncertainty.

"They have you restrained here because they're afraid you may try to take control but I don't think you will. Raven loves me; all of me and that includes you." He looked at the many chains and shackles and directed his hands at them. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

The heavy bands of metal hit the ground with a heavy clatter and Rage stood dumbfounded.

"Why?"

"Because I trust that you would never do anything to hurt Raven, and that means leaving her loved ones alone as well." The empath replied.

After another moment's silence, Rage slowly reached his hand forward and Beast Boy shook it.

:-:-:-:-:

"Look, we're not going back before Beast Boy wakes up, end of discussion!" Robin finished in a disgruntled tone.

Cyborg looked like he was going to try and argue the point further but was stopped when the three female Titans entered the common room. Robin checked the time on the wall and saw that it was already 3:47PM. Had they really been arguing that long?

"Fine." Said Cyborg. "All this arguing has given me an appetite, anyone else hungry?"

"I could go for some food."

Jinx turned to the green Titan in disbelief. "You're kidding right? You just had a huge lunch only half an hour ago and you want more?"

"Well, I didn't have any breakfast this morning." She defended.

"I like your thinking Rae, late late lunch coming up."

Robin did his best to not get agitated by Cyborg's quick change of attitude but he was pretty sure that it could be attributed to the presence of the pink haired sorceress who entered the room with Starfire and Raven. The argument was still fresh in his mind and he knew that they would have to return to Beast Boy's mind sooner or later, but he didn't want to take a risk like that so soon. Maybe it would be best for him to go with Beast Boy when he woke up, he didn't want to put anyone at risk and Beast Boy was someone he could trust.

A pair of soft hands found his tense shoulders and eased him down to the couch. Starfire began to massage his shoulders and whispered into his ear.

"You are far too aggravated Robin. Please, relax and enjoy the food Cyborg is preparing."

Robin melted like butter in the flames of a blowtorch. Everything that had happened that day; his argument with Cyborg, his apprehension about putting Starfire at risk, even the soreness in his foot that lingered from when he stubbed his toe that morning was gone. How could he have gone on hiding his feeling for her so long?

He turned and gave her a gentle kiss. "Thanks Star, but I'm not really hungry. You should go ahead though, I should see if Beast Boy is awake."

"He awoke several hours ago." She whispered, still rubbing his shoulders.

"What?"

"He awoke some time close to noon. He went back into his mind to speak with his emotions, I believe he is meditating on the roof now."

Robin pulled out his communicator and checked for Beast Boy's location, sure enough, he was on the roof.

"I was going to tell him that Raven is no longer asleep, but we decided to get something to eat first."

"I have to go talk to him." He said as he stood.

"No." Starfire said, pulling him back down to the couch and wrapping her arms around his midsection. "I want for you to stay with me, besides, I believe that Raven has a great deal more to speak with him about before you do."

Robin turned to the table where the others were sitting, Raven was finishing the soup that Cyborg had prepared and was making her way to the sink with the dishes.

"Raven."

:-:-:-:-:

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos… Azerath Metrion Zinthos…"

The familiar monotone chant echoed it's way down the stairs through the open door at the roof. Raven used the handrail because her legs, along with the rest of her body, hurt far too much to make it the whole way up unassisted.

She was curious to know what had actually happened but she was also wanted to know if Beast Boy was alright. Starfire seemed to think he'd been meditating for a couple hours already, so he should have at least gained enough control to carry out a short conversation with her.

As she got to the roof, she saw that her pale love was not in his usual place of meditation, he was right beside the doorway lying against the open door. He wasn't floating or sitting in a meditative stance, but with his legs outstretched in front of him and his arms to his sides. It was a relief to see that he did look calm but she would have to break his reverie sooner or later, she opted for the former.

"Beast Boy." She said, bending down to shake his shoulder.

A jolt of pain shot up her back and she fell to his lap.

His eyes opened and he blinked a few times before saying anything.

"Rae?" His confused facial expression changed the second he said her name to that of concern. "Are you alright? What did Trigon do to you?"

She tried to pick herself up but Beast Boy's arms had a firm hold around her waist.

"I… I really hurt. I don't know what he did to me but it hurt more than anything I felt in my life…"

His grasp around her tightened and he pulled her back to his chest. His head leaned gently on her right shoulder and she suddenly got a full breath of his scent. It eased her discomfort slightly.

"He's gone now and can never come back. He won't be able to hurt you ever again."

A warm feeling came over her whole body and she felt all the pain leaving her, every aching bone, every sore muscle was releasing it's irritation.

:-:-:-:-:

"I… I really hurt. I don't know what he did to me but it hurt more than anything I felt in my life…"

He could feel the truth of her words, she was distressed and must have felt far worse than he did. He pulled her to his chest and placed his cheek against hers.

"He's gone now and can never come back. He won't be able to hurt you ever again."

It wasn't unbearably hot, but he left the door open so that some of the towers conditioned air could cool him off a little. The sun was shining brightly on the ocean and it made the horizon look more like a sea of sparkling diamonds than water. The whole scene was just so idyllic, the villain was defeated, and the hero got to have a happy ending with the girl. Even before the switch he was cynical about the idea of a happy ending but this seemed to be it.

Beast Boy focused his thoughts on the blue glow from the center of his body, only this time, he wasn't going to focus it to his hands, it was going to be all over. He may not have known what Trigon did to her, but he would at least try to take her pain away.

His pale skin began to glow a faint blue and he imagined all of Raven's pain flow into him where their bodies were touching. He felt something, it was small but quickly grew into a searing pain that he knew would hurt for a long time to come.

After a few agonizingly long minutes, the painful flow ended and he rested some of his weight against her. His panting breath drew in the wonderfully sweet scent of her hair and skin and the pain seemed to be a little less prominent.

"Beast Boy! You don't have to take all that pain!" She said in a clearly chiding tone.

"I do Raven, because I'm not going to let you hurt when you don't have to."

She turned her head to face him and brought her hand to his cheek.

"I just… I want you to be okay."

"I will be."

Raven leaned forward slightly and kissed him.

The End

* * *

And so ends the story! If you desire more of this story worry not, for it will be continued following a much shorter road trip story (I still haven't come up with a title). 

I'm not exactly sure I'm pleased with the way this chapter came off but I guess it can't be helped. As I've said before, resolution chapters are really not my cup of tea. I do have to give credit to Calliope for her suggestion about the comic lines, such a momentous occasion deserves more than the eleven words I quoted but I think they work.

This chapter took four cans of Coke and about a quarter can of Pringles. At this point I'm going to kindly ask my doctor and anyone who may be faint of heart to not read this number: tallied up, this story took 59.12 L. That's 72 355mL cans and 4 2L bottles. What scares me is that the number is similar to the gas tank capacity of my father's van… In any case, I'm still kicking and have a pleasant lack of ulcers so Coca Cola can continue to fuel my writing!

I'll be doing a proper editing job for this whole story over the next week and a bit, then I'll start work on the next story. It should be interesting to see how this turns out because I'm still having a little trouble transferring my real life experience to an interesting Teen Titan story (The main problem being the lack of conflict)…

Again I must thank all those who read and gave input, were it not for you, this story could never have gotten as far as it did.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


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